Hide Away
by Unraveling Angel
Summary: Hanna knew she couldn't hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. There was so much she couldn't hide anymore and she was so sick of it.
1. Chapter 1

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**I absolutely adore the Hanna and Caleb relationship. I'm not exactly sure what it is or where it's going but I don't think they do either which is what makes it so fun. This is probably just a one-shot but I might get more inspiration and turn it into a series of one-shots or a small multi-chapter ficlet. Either way, I don't owe Pretty Little Liars in any form so please don't sue. This is purely to get some Hanna and Caleb stories onto Fanfiction because there's a severe lack of them. Anyway enjoy, and please constructive criticism only.**

She was tired, so tired that her eyelids were heavy but she just couldn't sleep, not knowing that the boy that made her feel so comfortable but uncomfortable at the same time was a mere twenty-five feet below her. She was sure he was replaying the day's events in his head just as she was. She would have snuck down to talk to him but she was too tired to try to hide. She wasn't in the mood to carefully tiptoe down all the stairs and be as silently as humanly possible just so she wouldn't wake her mother. Her mom still didn't know about the boy hidden in her basement. Just as she was about to give into sleep her phone buzzed, lighting up her room and snapping her far from sleep. She was tempted just to roll over and put a pillow over her head but she knew she wasn't going to sleep anyway. She had far too much thinking to do. She reluctantly pulled her arm out of the warmth of her mass of blankets and sheets to bring her phone close enough to read the new text.

"Mama Marin wouldn't be pleased to know what you were thinking about. But she would be pleased if she got her money back. $200 for every hour he spends in your bed tonight. -A"

She really didn't want do this. Their relationship was already weird. But she needed the money. Until the creepy guy pretending to be related to their unauthorized donner was gone, they were still running the risk of some serious trouble. She knew she could get in serious trouble for doing this but it wasn't like it was illegal. She let out a heavy sigh and began to get out of bed. She crept out into the hall carefully and silently. She knew her mom had taken a sleeping pill, something she had been doing a lot lately, so she should be asleep but that didn't mean she could be anything less than careful. Once she got down to the main floor, she pulled out her phone and sent the boy who was now only ten feet below her a text.

"You wanna come to the surface? We need to talk."

"Be right up."

It wasn't until she heard his footsteps that she got a glimpse into the mirror. That was when realized she must look like hell. Her hair was a mess. Her face was make-up free. Her tank-top was crooked and her shorts were crumpling up. She did not look sexy at all-not that she cared, or was supposed to care.

"What's wrong now princess?" his gruff voice from the darkness of the basement doorway startled her. He must've been asleep. His bed head was just as bad as hers and his oversized sweats were hanging low on his hips. His simple grey t-shirt was clinging to his muscular upper body. Although he had clearly just rolled out of bed it worked for him.

"Come with me," she said grabbing his arm with both her hands and carefully making her way up to her room. She pulled him inside and shut the door locking it behind them.

"So this is what the castle looks like. It's so much better than the dungeons," he said half-amused by the fact he was sitting on her bed while she was pacing nervously.

"Not again," she muttered as her phone buzzed with that familiar name for the second time that night.

"Time is ticking and Mama Marin will be up in just a few hours. Don't you want that money for mommy? You know what to do. –A"

"What's got you so scared that you dragged me out of bed to come up here and sit in silence?" he asked realizing she was scared. Without her make-up mask it was easier to read her every thought, not that it was ever that hard for him to know what she was up to.

"If I told you that someone was making me do things that I would never do because they had something on me that could ruin my life, would you believe me?" she asked looking into his eyes and biting her lower lip.

"So…" he started unsure of what to say. He wanted to believe her, he did believe her but he didn't know what to say.

"Look, if you don't believe me, that's fine. Just stay with me tonight please. You won't understand but they're watching me and I'm not comfortable in my own home anymore," she said tired of hiding how scared she really was.

"Hey it's ok. I'm here," he said laying down in her bed as she laid down with him. He held her close, unsure of what else to do, and let her fall asleep in his arms. Her first good sleep was ended when her phone buzzed.

"Good little bad girl. Now lose it and you'll get a nice bonus and maybe a fuck buddy in the basement. But don't let mommy catch you. -A"

But she was too tired for that tonight. She was tired of hiding her fear. She was tired of hiding him. She was tired of hiding her feelings for him. She really didn't care what anyone thought anymore. She just wanted to be happy but she didn't know what happy was anymore or how to get there.


	2. Chapter 2

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Although I wasn't really planning on continuing, I don't think I left it where it can be done…so…here's another chapter! I'll keep writing on this as long as I have some inspiration. So if you have some sort of idea of where I can take this private message me with your ideas (don't wanna ruin the story for reviewers if I do decide to take your ideas) and of course you will get credit. So hopefully I'll get some more inspiration and be able to keep writing. So here's an update, I know I just posted the first chapter but whatever. So again, I still don't own and please constructive criticism only. YAY!**

"Hanna, hun? I'm off to the work. You need to get up for school," Mrs. Marin called through the locked door of her daughter's bedroom, waking Hanna from her sleep.

"Kay Mom," Hanna groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around her room. Sometimes she would wake up and not realize where she was. Her own room didn't feel safe to her anymore, not with A watching her every move. She began to crawl out of bed when she realized the surprisingly strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the warmth. She froze and waited to hear the slam of the door downstairs before waking him.

"Caleb! Caleb wake up!" she said shaking him slightly, but it was enough to for him to snap his eyes open. He looked around confused before remembering the night's events.

"Morning Princess," he grunted as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"We need to get up," she said pulling him out of her bed.

"Why? Can't we just go back to sleep?" he moaned pulling her back down to the bed beside him.

"Ugh, I wish," she said stifling a yawn. The bed was so soft and warm and he was here to protect her from A and all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed with him and sleep forever. At least she didn't have to hide anything in her dreams.

"Then why not?" he said rolling over so he was on top of her and their faces were inches apart.

"Because…" she started to argue but suddenly lost all thoughts except how much she wanted to kiss him. He must have been reading her mind because at that same moment he touched his lips to hers. Carefully and lightly at first as if he was asking her permission. Then she kissed back and all the airy, innocent kisses became passionate and full of desire. Hands were roaming all over the place and she found her fingers tangled in his long dark hair. Their intense make-out session ended just as quickly as it began, when it a buzzing noise alert Hanna of a new text.

"We need to get ready for school," she said pulling away, "I need to get dressed. Get out."

"Uhm…ok," he said leaving her bedroom to go down to the basement and get ready himself.

Once he left her room, she checked her phone afraid of what A might tell her to do next. She knew A could ruin her life if ignored. She wasn't sure she wanted to do what A would ask of her next but she couldn't afford not to.

"Hey girlie! We need some girl talk time. Meet me before school? Mwah, Mona"

Hanna let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in. She was realized not to be reading another threat from A. She didn't have time to meet with Mona, she was already running late. She sent a quick response apologizing and promising to meet later, then got dressed for the day in a lazy day's outfit.

"We ready to go yet?" Caleb's voice called from downstairs as she adjusted her top and tousled her hair. With one last overlook she grabbed her keys and walked down the stairs like the perfect person she was, a distant, emotionless, beautiful shell of the girl who last night had begged him to stay with her and shown any sign of weakness. No this girl was a perfect replica of that other girl except this one didn't fall victim to her emotions, this one kept control in all situations.

"Let's go," she said grabbing her bag and going out to her car. The rest of the ride was silence. Neither one wanted to address what had happened. Once they got to school, he left the car and she followed moments later. When they got in the school, they went their separate ways.

Hanna walked to her locker in a daze. She really didn't want to be at school. She was just glad it was a Friday. She grabbed her books for her first classes and was about to slam her locker shut when she saw the envelope taped to her mirror. She checked to make sure no one could see and pulled it off. Ripping it open she found the eight-hundred dollars A owed her for last night as well as a note.

"Careful Hanna. You don't want to let your emotions get to you again. Emotions made you fat and being fat would mean you aren't perfect. Then Caleb would be gone for Arizona and you would be left here all by yourself."


	3. Chapter 3

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**While I thought about not updating until tomorrow, I also got some inspiration. So here's another chapter. Don't get used to the sudden updates because they won't last forever. If y'all have any ideas about what should happen next, just message me. And I mean any ideas, down to a single text from A. Don't worry about ruining it for me, I've read the books (kinda) but I'm going by what's been revealed in the TV series. And although I'm not gonna refuse to update until I get some reviews, I would like some…they make me happy…sure the story alerts and all do but reviews are nice and more reviews might make me more inclined to continue. So anyway, here's the next random burst of Hanna and Caleb from somewhere in my severely sleep deprived mind.**

Hanna could breath. This was low even for A. She was terrified. She had already had one scare when she came home and found his bag packed, granted it was a trash bag and he did stay. But when she had come home and thought for one instant that he was leaving, she was…well she didn't exactly know what she felt. It made her sick. That was when she realized she did have feelings for him as something more than the boy in the basement. She had thought she didn't need to be perfect for Caleb, that he loved her-there she was jumping to the conclusion that he loved her just because she had…strong feelings for him. She thought she could be herself with him and he would still be…whatever he was to her. They were comfortable together and that's all she really needed right now.

She found herself in her first period class with no idea how she got there or anything that had happened since she read the letter. She knew she was sitting there and class had been carrying on without her. It wasn't until the bell rang and she made her way to her to her second period. Throughout her day, she continued to think bad to the night before and the letter she found in her locker. She couldn't help but think that A was right. Caleb didn't want to be there. He wanted to be somewhere else and who was she to try to stop him. She was just the girl giving him a place to stay. She had no right to even pretend for a second that she had any control over him. She wasn't his mom or his wife, not even his girlfriend. She was his girl (space) friend, if he even thought that much of her. She had nothing to keep him here with her and he probably wouldn't stay anyway.

It wasn't until lunch, that she finally came around. She went back to her locker before going to meet the girls. As she was walking to the cafeteria she saw Caleb out of the corner of her eye. She smiled at him before realizing she was supposed to be avoiding him after their awkward night and quickly focused on anything else. Of course there was a buzzing in her purse, alerting her of an unwanted text. She groaned before pulling her phone out and reading her newest text from the bitch trying to ruin her life.

"You still haven't earned that bonus and the offer won't be available forever. –A"

"I really hate A," Hanna said as she stuffed her phone back into her purse and plopped down beside her friends.

"Well she really hates us too," Spencer said weary of the time she had spent at the police station trying to prove that she wasn't trying to frame Ian.

"I still can't believe she would do that to us. I mean first she runs down Hanna. Then she saves us from Noel. Now she's trying to get us arrested. Is she like bipolar or something?" Aria asks genuinely confused. They all were. Whoever A was, they were doing a good job of confusing the hell out of them.

"I don't know. Have you and Toby found anything yet?" Emily asked Spencer with a bit of a bite to her words. It was obvious she hated how Spencer was now so buddy-buddy with someone she had once sworn was the killer. Emily clearly still had feelings for Toby.

"Not really. All we have to work with is a number but we have no idea. It's not even long enough to be a phone number. But we're working on it," Spencer said with a yawn. She couldn't sleep at home knowing that Ian was just outside and he thought she was trying to frame him.

"Well Caleb says he'll never be able to crack her phone without an advanced degree in computer engineering," Hanna said unconsciously changing the topic to what she had been thinking about all day.

"Is Caleb still living in your basement without your mom knowing?" Emily asked knowing that Hanna hadn't told her mom yet.

"Well I was going to tell her but…" Hanna said but was interrupted by more buzzing from her purse.

"Hanna I have to go out of town to deal with Ms. Potter's account. I won't be home until Sunday night, maybe Monday morning. Can you stay at Spencer's for the weekend? Love you, Mom"

"What was that about?" Aria asked when Hanna put her phone back in her bag.

"Huh…oh nothing. Anyway have they decided what to do about the trophy yet?" Hanna responded avoiding the question. She didn't feel like going to Spencer's for their weekly pow-wow tonight so she wasn't going to tell them her mom was out of town. That could lead to an unwanted discussion about being home alone all weekend with Caleb.

They spent the rest of lunch discussing everything and anything they wanted to. Hanna felt at ease and comfortable with her friends but she still could have sworn someone was watching her. After lunch they discussed their plans for the night, with Hanna apologizing for not being able to make it, then went their separate ways to class.

At the end of the day, Hanna went to her locker to find a surprise waiting for her. She pulled the gift bag out and began to inspect the fabric inside it. As she pulled out the sexy black lingerie she felt sick.

"Mommy is all gone and that bonus won't get itself. This might just help with that. But a bit more purging might help even more. Don't let anyone know or you might scare off you new friend. –A"


	4. Chapter 4

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Y'all people are really lucky. I like this story and I'm full of ideas. So y'all get another fast update. I meant to add this last night but my internet was down. But this is a longer chapter and a bit different. There is a reason A gave Hanna that gift and it's not exactly as innocently written as the rest of the story. So I'm not bumping it up to M, my personal opinion is that it's not graphic enough for M) If you don't wanna read it you'll be able to know before it starts. Again, don't own. Anyway, on with the story.**

Hanna threw the gift into her bag. She was getting really tired of the constant blackmail. She knew this would happen sooner or later. Sure she questioned the fact that her mom just so happened to be going out of town the exact same weekend A wanted this from her. Big shock the bitch would know exactly when the perfect timing was. But what was she to do? They needed the money back.

Hanna was on her way out to her car in a really bad mood when Caleb stopped her.

"What's wrong Princess? Did you miss me all day long?" he said, signature smirk back in its proper place and no evidence of the unsure boy he had been last night could be seen.

"Just shut up and be thankful I'm giving you a ride home. It's so far out of my way. One of these days I might just decide to let you walk," she said replacing her disgust of what A wanted her to do with a smirk and bite me attitude.

"Feisty," Caleb growled starting their playful banter that would carry on throughout their entire ride home.

"Ok well you chill or do whatever. My mom's not here for the weekend so you can hang around the surface," Hanna said walking upstairs.

"So you're just gonna leave me in your house alone?" Caleb called after her retreating form.

"No. I just need a nice long bath," Hanna retorted not bothering to turn to face him. It would be easier to relax if she could just not think about him, as hard as that would be.

Hanna drew herself a nice hot bath pouring in her favorite scented bubbles. She took off her clothes and slowly sunk into the hot water letting each inch adjust to the change of temperature. She soaked for what seemed like hours just letting all her secrets and worries sink to the bottom of the tub. Finally she decided it was time to actually bathe and get out.

Once she got to her room she pulled out A's most recent gift. She ran her fingers over the pink silk bra with black lace overlay and black mesh dress extending out, the matching boy-shorts, and even the black lace garter. A was generous. It was all so beautiful but tiny. How was this supposed to fit her? Of course A knew how to play with her.

"Hanna? You out yet?" Caleb called from downstairs bringing her back to the real world.

"Yeah. Be right down. Why don't you order a pizza or something?" Hanna called trying to stall him. She was still standing in her towel staring at her outfit for the night. She didn't exactly know what to do. She finally sucked up all bad thoughts she had and pushed them out of her head. She realized she was wasting time and got dressed, pulling one of "Hefty Hanna's" old sweatshirts on over her scantily clad body. Then she went downstairs and made her way to the den where Caleb was stretched out on the couch.

"Hey," she said as she came up and pushed his feet off the couch so she could sit at the other end.

"Hey, I ordered a pizza. It should be here soon. What do you wanna do?" Caleb asked flipping through the channels trying to find something that would keep his attention off the blonde lounging across the sofa within arms distance. The doorbell rang and he caught himself staring.

"Just pick a movie or something ondemand," she said jumping up to answer the door. Paying the pervy delievery boy and walking to the kitchen she noticed the post-it stuck to the box.

"A little liquid courage never hurt, especially if you're nervous. You know the bad boy downstairs wouldn't refuse. –A"

Hanna groaned but realized A was right. She grabbed a couple beers from the fridge and managed to carry it all to the den somehow.

"Ok. What did you pick?" she asked putting it all down on the coffee table.

"Inception. That ok?" he asked suddenly realizing she might not like his choice of movies.

"Yeah. It's fine. Want a beer?" she asked handing him one before grabbing a slice of pizza. She would really regret this tomorrow.

"Sure. So what's up with you? You're acting weird," he said turning to look at the beautiful girl beside him.

"It's nothing," she said casually sipping on her beer and keeping her eyes on the screen. Their conversation ended there. Neither one tried to say anything, at least not vocally. The entire night was full of stolen glances and fleeting touches. Many a time, Caleb had to push her soft, silky legs back towards her and away from his lap, not that he really wanted to, and Hanna had to suppress to urge to wrap up in his arms and curl up against his chest. Most of these moves were made by Hanna as she was very uninterested in the movie, although being drunk really didn't help.

"So Caleb Rivers, let's play a game. Never have I ever," Hanna slurred pawing her way into his lap.

"Hanna you're drunk," he hiccupped back at her.

"So…You are too," she said running her hands down his chest.

"Good point Princess," he responded messing with her hair which suddenly seemed like so much more than a friendly ruffle.

"Come with me," she said excitedly pulling him up and scampering to her room with him in tow.

"What are we doing Hanna? I told you, you don't have to do this," he said trying to keep his eyes off of her body which she had just exposed from the over-sized sweatshirt that had been hiding her curves all night.

"But I want to. Please," Hanna begged pushing him to the bed.

"Are you sure about this?" he said but no more words were necessary as she pulled his shirt over his head and began kissing down his chest.

Caleb returned the kisses all over her body. Starting at her neck he moved down to the tops of her breasts which were poking out the top of the sexy push-up bra which made her already full chest even larger. He moved further south with every kiss. Tempting her casually, he paused just above her peeking breasts. Instead of stopping there, he moved back up to her lips, chewing and pulling, begging for attention. Their tongues began fighting for dominance wrestling on each other, just as their bodies did. One moment he was on top, allowing her to pull off his pants. The next thing she knew, she was on top and he was pulling off the remaining fabric keeping him from full access to her chest. With that piece of clothing thrown somewhere in the room Caleb paused to take in her body. He had never expected to see her, his princess, like this, exposed and squirming under him, begging for more. She thought he was beginning to regret coming up here but he quickly reassured her with one look into her eyes. The passion between them drove them over the edge and soon the remaining fabric that separated them was discarded somewhere out of their way. They were exploring every part of each other's body leaving marks of ownership for the world to see, when they heard it. It was barely audible above their moans, pants and groans. It was a car. But they couldn't stop just yet, they were just about finished. The beeping of the alarm was covered by the sounds of their last moans. It wasn't until they were collapsed in each other's arms that they realized someone else was in the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Yay another chapter up really fast! Hopefully that wasn't too out there. I'm not the best at writing that kinda stuff. Anyways I don't own still (and unfortunately I probably never will…so I'm gonna stop saying that and leave it as assumed) but here's the next chapter! (IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END!)**

"Caleb you have to get out of here. There's someone in the house," Hanna said almost jumping out of bed. She the realization that she was no longer a virgin hit her hard but she couldn't stop to think about that right now.

"Fine. I'll be your knight in shining armor. I'll go check it out. You stay here," Caleb said rolling out of bed and pulling his pants back on, "Have you seen my shirt?"

"Uhm…check over there," she replied pointing to a distant corner she vaguely remembered tossing it.

"Kay, I'll be right back," he said tossing his shirt to her, "Put some clothes on."

Caleb snuck downstairs but he had a bad feeling about this. If it was Mrs. Marin she would have called up to Hanna to let her know she was home. Hanna had seemed so sure her mom would be out of town this weekend. He searched the house but didn't find anyone.

Meanwhile Hanna decided to do some investigating of her own. She had been suspicious of this all along but she doubted that her mom had come home. She would have said something to her. But she was nervous none the less. She got up pulled on some clothes; Caleb's oversized t-shirt being the main item of her outfit. Then went to her bathroom to clean herself up. The sight of the lipstick covered mirror was enough to make her scream before she even read it.

"Hanna! What happened? Are you ok?" Caleb asked panting after sprinting up the stairs to her rescue.

"I…She…A…" Hanna stammered struggling to find the right words. But there were no words to explain why the message scared her so bad. She simply pointed and let Caleb read it for himself.

"Mommy finding out would be bad. Being a mommy would be worse. Your body would never recover. Hope you're being careful. –A"

"Shit Han, I'm sorry…" he said realizing they hadn't been careful enough, or really careful at all.

"That's not what I'm worried about right now. I'm more worried that A saw us," Hanna said lying through her teeth. She was obviously very scared by the possibility of being pregnant, but those thoughts could be saved until she was alone and could think for herself.

"Why are you so worried about A?" Caleb asked trying to lift Hanna's chin so she would look at him. She knew he must be scared.

"She's the one I told you about. The one trying to ruin my life with blackmail," Hanna said staring at the words written in the mirror.

"Well I have reason to believe you now so do you wanna tell me about it?" he asked taking a washcloth and wiping away the lipstick words. He hoped it would help her feel better about the whole situation.

"Not really. I kinda wanna be alone," Hanna said going back to her room.

"Ok…" Caleb said as he watched her go into her room and lock the door then made his way downstairs. Once he got to the basement, he stretched out on his make-shift bed and let his thoughts carry him away. He felt so guilty. If he had just kept it in his pants maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. He couldn't bear to think of what might happen if she was pregnant. Sure he didn't want a kid but it wasn't exactly his decision. They would talk about it sooner or later and if she wanted to keep it he promised himself he would be a good parent. He wasn't letting this kid go into the foster care system like he was. Sure he had gotten lucky being able to live in Hanna's basement but who knew how much longer that would last, especially after what they just did. He would not let his kid suffer the way he did.

"What do you wanna do about it?" Hanna asked quietly breaking him from his thoughts. She obviously had a possible decision made but she wasn't going to blurt it out. Caleb knew he was going to have to take control. Although his Princess usually knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it, she was unsure of where to begin with this complicated subject.

"Maybe we should start with what we are first," Caleb suggested. As much as he wanted to say something witty that would make her smile, he knew right now she needed serious answers not the playful flirting they were used to.

"I don't want you to leave," Hanna blurted out her no longer newest fear.

"I am not leaving yet. But I can't live it that basement forever. Sooner or later your mom is gonna find out and then I'll be sent back to the foster care. I probably won't even get to stay with the same family anymore," Caleb said as she came to sit on the couch with him.

"Good. We can deal with that later. I'm gonna take the pill. I'll get it tomorrow. We don't have to worry about this," Hanna said finding her confidence.

"You know if you wanted to keep it I'd be here for you. I'm not running off and ditching you," Caleb said taking her hands in his.

"We don't need to worry about it. I might not even be pregnant," Hanna exclaimed ready to move on and change topics.

"Ok. You're right. No need to worry," Caleb said letting go of her hands and lying down.

"Can I stay down here with you tonight? A won't be able to see us without coming down here and I really don't want to have to worry about her right now. Especially since the perv probably watched us earlier," Hanna said. Caleb opened his arms and pulled her close. No need for words.

"I'm always right here Princess," he smirked returning to his face.

"You're the perfect knight in shining armor," she smiled, turning to give him a quick peck before curling up in his arms again.

"Good-night Princess," he said kissing her head as she fell asleep. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight. Not with the girl in his arms so scared of some creepy stalker watching them. No, he would give up sleep anytime to watch out for her.

**Ok about the possible pregnancy: y'all get to pick what happens. I can tie it into the story that she keeps it, that she was never pregnant, that she takes the pill, that she waits and gets an abortion, miscarriage, gives it up for adoption, etc. If you have a really creative storyline pm me so it doesn't get ruined for everyone else. So pick Hanna's poison. The sooner I get some opinions, the sooner I can update.**


	6. Chapter 6

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she could hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Another update! This is probably the last one this weekend though. Good thing y'all agreed with me. She was never pregnant in the first place, A is just a bitch and Caleb needed some character development that will continue in this chapter. So with that out of the way, carrying on to a happier (for the most part) chapter.**

"Caleb Rivers! Get your ass up here now!" Hanna shouted echoing throughout the house.

"What now?" Caleb called back walking upstairs to stand outside the bathroom door.

"Ugh…get in here now," Hanna said impatiently.

"So you really just can't get enough can you?" Caleb snickered opening the door and joining Hanna in the bathroom.

"You're hot but not that hot," Hanna said back playfully picking up on their game.

"Oh really now? I happen to think I'm very sexy thank you very much," he said jumping up to sit on the countertop by the sink to continue this discussion.

"Conceited much," she said forgetting the whole reason she called him in the first place, she was just so comfortable in his presence she didn't mind that the only thing separating him from her naked body was a tiny curtain.

"Do you really wanna start this now? I will do anything to win this argument and once you start you can't stop," he purred at her from his perch.

"Ugh…whatever. I'm getting shampoo in my mouth," Hanna said tired of the banter.

"I win," Caleb said simply, the smirk on his face evident in his voice, "Oh what was the emergency."

"Right," Hanna said remembering why she had to call him up in the first place and sticking her arm outside the boundaries of the shower, "Do you see this? Do you know what it is?"

"Uhm…a bottle of shampoo?" Caleb asked confused by the significance of this small bottle.

"No! This used to be full of my favorite conditioner now it's all gone," Hanna said in a voice that clearly meant business.

"And that's my problem because…" Caleb questioned despite having a pretty good idea that he wasn't supposed to have used it.

"You've been using my special conditioner," Hanna said simply but there was more to it than that.

"It's just conditioner. Just give me the bottle and I'll go pick up some more," he said trying to calm her. After all a pissed off princess could be a real pain in the ass.

"Oh and make sure you get the exact same one. This kind has blonde coloring agents to keep my hair nice and blonde and make the roots blonde too. You've been dying your hair!" Hanna giggled and he groaned. He knew the stuff smelled too girly to be normal.

"Are you fucking kidding me? And you're just telling me now. You're a great girlfriend," he moaned more to himself than to her.

"Did you just call me your girlfriend?" Hanna asked shocked by the words that had slipped out of Caleb's mouth.

"Depends. Am I your boyfriend or your boy friend?" Caleb asked genuinely waiting for the answer.

"…my boyfriend?" she asked hoping she was right.

"Good answer girlfriend," he smiled-that's right not smirked, smiled.

"Now be a good boyfriend and go get me some more," Hanna said chucking the bottle at where she assumed his head was.

"Fine Princess. Don't drown," he called walking out and slamming the door behind him.

"Finally some peace and quiet," Hanna mumbled to herself once she heard the front door slam. Sure she had been freaked after A's most recent break in but that didn't mean she needed Caleb following her everywhere. With him gone she could finally have some girl time and take that pill he had gone to get with her two towns over. The risk of anyone knowing about it was worth the extra time it took. There was no way in hell she was going to swallow that thing with him staring her down. It was too awkward.

She got out of the shower, got dressed in something comfy then went downstairs to the kitchen to locate that little miracle pill. But when she saw the mess from last night she got a little distracted. After cleaning up the pizza and beers, she went back to the task at hand: locating the pill. Once she found it, she poured herself a glass of water and opened up the package.

"No more worrying," she said to herself once she had it in her hand but she was interrupted by the sound of the door. She put the pill down by her glass and ran excitedly to the door to see Caleb standing there with the bag in one hand and a note in the other.

"What does she mean?" he asked looking directly into Hanna's eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded worried. The look on his face was scaring her.

"This A person, why did she leave this envelope taped to the door? It's money and a note," he said continuing to stare her down as he shoved the crumpled note into her hand.

"Here's the money. You earned it. But how would your new boyfriend feel if he knew you just slept with him for money? Now that he doesn't have to stick around for your bastard child why should he? You're no better than a prostitute. –A"

"Caleb…please. Don't listen to her. I told you she is trying to ruin my life. I love you. I really do please don't do this," Hanna begged on the verge of tears. This was the last straw. She knew what was coming next. The hurt on Caleb's face as he shook his head gave it all away and broke her heart in the process.

"Han…I can't. I can't do this anymore. I need time to clear my head. I'll be gone by tonight and you can have you house back," he said tossing her the bag and storming his way down to his make-shift bedroom to pack his things, leaving Hanna to cry to herself.

Hanna slid down the wall until she sat on the floor. Her body shock as she tried to hold in the sobs. She lost all control of her emotions. She was at her weakest point. For some stupid reason she had let all her walls down and let him get close. Granted, he did make the breaks into tearing the walls down himself but she let him. She knew better now. She questioned how she could have let it happen after her dad abandoned her. Now she had no right to blame A for something she should have seen coming. Her heart was broken but it was all her fault. She just wanted to pull herself together and put her mask back on. She just needed to feel perfect again.

"You knew this was coming. After all he just saw you naked for the first time. He must've been disgusted. You can be skinnier and prettier. You know what to do. –A"


	7. Chapter 7

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she couldn't hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**AND ANOTHER CHAPTER THIS WEEKEND! Sorry about the delay, I meant to post this chapter this morning but ended up on a road trip, you never know what to expect on the weekends. This is the last one for the weekend and my during the week updates might be sporadic but I'll try to have one up by Wednesday. So I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! (BTWS I just realized what an idiot I am…I reread the summary and realized it's supposed to be "couldn't hide" not "could hide". Sorry! I've corrected it in the summary and from here on it will be right at the beginning of every chapter.)**

"Hey Caleb…I know you're mad at me but...just come back. Let me explain, please?" Hanna sobbed into the phone for what must have been the billionth time. He probably blocked her number or something; he was a phone genius after all. It had been nearly a day since he left, since she last heard his voice and saw his face. She didn't know what to do. She hadn't even changed clothes since he left, which was probably a bad thing since when he had left she was wearing his sweatshirt.

"Hanna. Pick up the phone. I know you can hear me," Spencer's voice said on the answering machine. She hadn't talked to them in the twenty-four hours either. They must have been getting worried.

"A is gonna pay," she said pulling herself up from the floor of the basement, being there probably didn't help her much either. She had finally decided it was time to get up and put the mask back on. She had her twenty-four hour grace period but now it was time to rejoin the real world.

She made it up to the bathroom and started the shower. She turned on the radio then got into the now warm shower. As she did, the memory of her shower with Caleb-ok they didn't actually shower together she just jumped in on him-flooded her mind but she managed the push the urge to scream out of the mind until after her shower was over. Once she was finished, she was working up the nerve to step out from under the water streaming from the head. The pressure was so much better now. She never wanted to leave. That's when she heard the song on the radio. She hadn't been paying much attention to it before but now she realized it was a country station, which she found extremely weird since she never listened to country music. Sure she recognized the voice of Taylor Swift but she had never heard this song before.

"Seems the only one who doesn't see your beauty, is the face in the mirror looking back at you. You walk around here thinking you're not pretty but that's not true, 'cause I know you. Hold on baby, you're losing it. The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go and no one knows that you cry but you don't tell anyone that you might not be the golden one and you're tied together with a smile but you're coming undone. I guess it's true that love was all you wanted 'cause you're giving it away like its extra change, hoping it will end up in his pocket but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain…" Taylor's voice came from the radio hitting her hard. By the end of the song, she was sitting in the tub, wrapping her arms around her legs, letting the water wash away her tears.

"That was 'Tied Together With a Smile' by Taylor Swift. It was actually written for her friend, Abigail, who suffered from an eating disorder; the same friend from her song 'Fifteen' who 'gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind'. Anyway it was dedicated to Hanna from her friend A," the radio announcer's voice broke her from her thoughts. She got out of the shower and threw on her clean clothes. She had had enough of the bitch. She grabbed her phone and returned Spencer's call.

"Hanna! Oh my God! Where have you been! We need to get together to talk. Can you come over tonight? Aria and Emily are coming over too," Spencer said before Hanna even said a word.

"Yeah. I'll be there. There's a lot to talk about," Hanna said hanging up the phone as she replayed the past forty-eight hours, "Shit. I still need to take the pill."

Hanna went downstairs to the kitchen determined to get rid of any possible problem. She found it sitting by the glass she had poured the day before. She picked up the pill to make sure it was the right one before popping it in her mouth and washing it down with a big gulp of water.

"All gone," she half-smiled, it was the best she could do. She went to her room to grab some stuff in case she slept over at Spencer's and threw it into a bag and into her car. Then she drove off to Spencer's ready to have some girl time and forget all about the unpleasant events of the weekend.

"Han! We've been worried," Aria said as Hanna walked into the group chat.

"Yeah I'm fine," Hanna said with her mask back exactly where it should be, "So what have I missed?"

"Well while you were hiding from the world doing God knows what with your…your…Caleb, A has been actively trying to get Spence to take the fall for Alison's murder," Aria explained though it took some time as she didn't know what to refer to Caleb as. He and Hanna were clearly something but she wasn't going to say that to Hanna's face unless Hanna admitted it first.

"First of all what do you think we were doing?" Hanna began her questioning but was interrupted by coughs and eye rolls from her friends.

"We all know what you you've been wanting to do since you jumped in the shower with him Han," Aria laughed as Hanna turned bright read.

"Seriously? We're just friends. Can't guys and girls just be friends anymore? And secondly, we weren't hiding from the world," Hanna scoffed, "We were hiding from A. That bitch has been downright brutal this week."

"Oh so trying to get me arrested hasn't been her only priority lately. What else is she doing?" Spencer asked wondering how A could accomplish all that she does.

"Well…" Hanna began but was interrupted by a buzzing from her purse/

"And you expect us to believe you aren't in love with the boy in your basement," Spencer said as she watched Hanna digging through her purse like a maniac powered by hopes that Caleb was calling and holding up her phone victoriously.

"Un-uh…can't tell the others what you're doing or Caleb might just leave for good. And where would you be without your precious knight in shining armor to jump out of bed and scare me off? –A"


	8. Chapter 8

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she couldn't hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Ok here's the next chapter. Hopefully it's better than the last. I wasn't too happy with that last one. It was more of a filler chapter than anything else. Oh, again there's an important author's note at the end.**

"You have got to be kidding," Hanna groaned as she read the latest text from Queen Bitch A.

"What is it?" Emily asked knowing something was wrong.

"Oh nothing. Just not who I thought it was," Hanna sighed, "So…"

"Come on Han, you can't just expect us to change the subject just like that. Tell us more about Caleb," Emily pried sick of hearing Spencer rant about how she and Toby were on top of everything. It was driving her insane.

"Well there's really not a lot to say. He's still pretty shut up about before Rosewood," Hanna said wary of how much she wanted to explain to her friends or how much A would accept her telling them.

"Hanna, please tell me you two aren't together," Spencer sighed clearly flaunting her disgust for Caleb.

"Why does it matter?" Hanna asked biting back at the stinging words.

"Oh come on. I've been telling you this since you meet him. He's bad. He's sketchy and mysterious and you shouldn't be hanging around him," Spencer said in her usual 'I'm smarter and know more than you so listen to me' attitude.

"Well you were telling Emily the same thing about Toby, and look who's in love with him now," Hanna said fueled by the hypocrisy of Spencer's words.

"That was different. We know him now. Emily was right. He's good and he's helping us," Spencer said trying to persuade Hanna to leave this Caleb Rivers boy alone.

"Well if you would give him the chance, you could get to know Caleb. He is good. He tried helping us but he didn't know how. But he is helping me and he is good to me. He really is a sweetheart if you would get off your high-horse and give him a God damn chance!" Hanna said her voice rising with every pointed sentence.

"This is different," Spencer said keeping her calm as if Hanna was a three-year old throw a tempter-tantrum and she was her well behaved perfect mother telling her no.

"What's so different? You aren't attracted to Caleb? I'm not Emily?" Hanna said punctuating every sentence with her disdain for everything Spencer had said.

"Hanna you like him so you're over looking all his flaws. It's perfectly normal to…" Spencer started her argument in her self-righteous voice once again.

"Oh just shut up already! Stop acting so fucking perfect all the time. We know you're no better than the rest of us so stop trying to act like you're my mother. You claim to be protecting me from some awful person but you're just jealous that you can't lure in a guy for yourself, you have to steal someone else's. Well Caleb is mine and if you want him you're going to have to fight for him," Hanna said storming off but turning on her heels to call back, "Bye Emily and Aria. Sorry about losing it like that."

Hanna got in her car but she didn't want to go home, at least not yet. Instead, she pulled out of the Hastings' driveway headed for the interstate. She just needed to push her foot down on the gas and go. She didn't know where she was going but she had money and clothes in the passenger seat so why the hell not disappear. It's not like anyone would miss her. Caleb was gone. She had just pissed off her friends and left them speechless. Her mom was out of town until God knows when on some business trip. A few days away wouldn't hurt anyone.

She headed for the highway and just kept driving in a direction she assumed was south. She had seen many exits fly by but none really said 'Hanna, stop here'. Besides, there was no need to stop until she was tired. She wasn't really paying much attention to where she was going, enough that she wasn't going to crash, but it was pretty much on auto-control. She had been driving for nearly an hour, probably more, when her mom called to say she would be home in the morning. That's when she gave up on her plan to get out of town and headed home unsuccessful. On the bright side it proved she was actually out of town, not just some cruel trick sent by A to get Caleb caught. Ugh…thinking of Caleb made her feel sick.

Ok so maybe a few days away wasn't the best idea, as she found herself back on her doorstep after driving around aimlessly. Now she was tired and hungry and home alone. It was close to ten and she didn't want to be home alone. If Spencer hadn't pissed her off, she wouldn't be home and if A hadn't sent Caleb away, she wouldn't be home alone. She caught herself thinking of Caleb again but this time didn't feel as sick. She put her key in the lock and turned it but it wouldn't unlock. She was sure she had the right key so she kept trying. Eventually she got tired of the failed attempts and decided to go around back.

Hanna snuck her way around back, although she didn't know why she was sneaking, probably just to avoid the embarrassment of being locked out of her own home. Once she got to the back door, she was shocked to see Caleb standing in her kitchen. She opened the door quietly in an attempt to slip in without him noticing.

"You know I can see you right?" he said without turning to face her, his voice even and emotionless.

"I know that now. What are you doing here? I thought you left," Hanna said stopping in her tracks to wait for his answer, and it better be good.

"Can't go back to the foster house," he said keeping his eyes focused on the window to the backyard.

"Why not?" she asked, her curiosity peaking as she sat at one of the island bar stools.

"I just can't. If I had known you were coming home, I wouldn't have come back. I'm sorry I'll leave," he said moving from the window but still not meeting her gaze.

"No. You don't have to. We can just go back to being strangers and pretend none of this ever happened," Hanna said hoping to convince him to stay.

"Hanna…hasn't Mommy ever told you not to talk to strangers? I'm pretty sure letting a stranger live in the basement breaks that rule," he said smirking. He wanted to stay he really did but it was just too complicated. He never should have taken her up on her offer anyway. But now that he had, they couldn't go back to being strangers, not with all that had happened it the past few days.

"No please. My mom won't be back until in the morning. You can stay until you have enough money for Arizona," she begged and without looking at her, he knew she was looking pretty sad.

"One day, no more," he said agreeing with the now happy blonde who had by some miracle restrained herself enough that she remained sitting on the bar stool instead of running and jumping on him with a hug, not that he would have minded. But he wasn't going to be the one to break and with her determination, she probably wouldn't either.

**Ok I wanna pull back on the drama some but I will need something else to fill that gap. Of course, there will be more Haleb fluff or as fluffy as a hot bad boy can get but I think they've had enough drama with the pregnancy scare. So what do you wanna see more of in the next few chapters? I'll take any suggestions into account but please don't say something totally out there and un-realistic.**


	9. Chapter 9

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she couldn't hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER! Sorry for the delay but I need a new previewer (not necessarily beta but someone to tell me if they think the chapter just isn't right or if something needs changing), I loved my old one but I need someone faster who can keep up with me. I've got another chapter ready and two more lined up after this one! But I really want someone's approval before it becomes a set part of the story, so if you're interested just pm me ASAP. **

**Oh and the keys weren't working because well…haven't you ever just had difficulty with your keys especially when frustrated…I just needed a reason for her to go through the back door because if she went through the front he would probably run thinking it was Mrs. Marin. Just so y'all know, I started writing this before the other night's episode where we learned more about Caleb and Hanna so I'm going to try to tie in that information, which might just turn my plot line around, but it could be an interesting twist. So here it is and like always let me know what I can do better next time. Enjoy!**

Hanna ran up to her room before she let out a sigh of relief. As long as he was still living in her basement, she could convince him to stay. She would find a way somehow. But for now, she had to fight the urge to jump into his arms while he spun her around kissing like any cliché chick flick. Nope, she couldn't show that side of her right now. Sure he had seen it before but this was different. Their weird relationship was on the line. If she showed how badly she wanted-no needed him, he might get scared off and leave again, but this time it might be for good. And she didn't know if she could handle that right now, after all Spencer had just been arrested. Although they were fighting, they were still friends and the idea that Spencer had really killed Alison danced across her mind a few times but had been pushed away by their friendship. Now she didn't know what to think.

"Hey Hanna," Caleb called from outside her door.

"Yeah," she responded trying to sound collected but she knew she must have seemed like she had downed too much caffeine.

"What am I staying for? I mean is it really worth it to stay here?" he blurted out, forgetting the conversation he had planned incase Hanna came home.

"That's your decision. But what are you going to Arizona for? Is that worth leaving here?" she countered, trying to put the argument for staying into his head. This was it. The moment he would decide whether to stay or go and it would be for good if he did go

"My mom," he sighed knowing he would have to address this sooner or later "She was working as a flight attendant and was always flying off somewhere and leaving me with my aunt for a day or two while she was gone. When I was five, she left and didn't come back. My aunt had cancer and couldn't take care of me so I got put into the foster care system. Somehow, she managed to keep track of me through every family I went too, and there were a lot. Then on my tenth birthday she forwarded me the card from my mom. It was just a store bought card signed 'Mom', no money or anything but the return address. I guess she started a new life, her last name was different and it was one of those fancy print labels with her entire new family listed. You would think I would've been pissed but I was so happy she actually remembered about me that I didn't care. That's why I want to go to Arizona, or at least wanted to. Saying it out loud makes me feel like I'd be ruining her new life. I just want her to know that I'm still here. I probably sound like an idiot," Caleb finished realizing that he was sitting on her bed and her resolve had broke as she was rubbing his back in some form of comforting gesture.

"No. I understand completely. My dad left when I was younger, I was fat and disgusting so I thought he didn't want to be my dad anymore and him leaving just made me eat more and more. Then I spent five summers at fat camp and Alison helped me and I finally got skinnier. Then he called and said he wanted to eat as a family, I thought he was going to come back home because I was finally good enough but instead he brought his new family. And they were perfect suburban housewife, country club, yacht owning types. It was awful. After all these years of begging for his attention he finally gave me some just to show me how much better his new family was. It was pretty much like he was telling me he had replaced me and I wasn't a part of his life anymore but it made me happy that he had actually included me in a family dinner," Hanna said feeling the need to let him in on her abandonment issues since he told her his. Having secrets only gave A more power and if she told Caleb before A could, then A wouldn't be a threat anymore.

"Being abandoned sucks," Caleb said looking at the ground.

"That's why I had to take the pill. I didn't want to have to risk it. And I wasn't going to let my child feel abandoned like I do," Hanna said feeling her decision needed some explanation but it had been understood. Although they hadn't verbally agreed to never talk about, it was implied by the nature of it that no one else ever needed to know.

"I know. No child needs to grow up thinking they weren't good enough for their own parents," Caleb said as he came to the unspoken decision that things were going to stay exactly the way they were. They completed each other and why would he want to leave someone who made him feel like he mattered to see someone who didn't give a damn. He wrapped his arms around her and realized she needed him to make her feel worth something to someone who didn't have to care.

"Stay with me?" Hanna asked, saying those three words he needed to hear.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he said as he held her close while she let down the wall that had been keeping in her emotions. She could be herself around him again and that was something she really needed.

"We can even tell my mom," Hanna said knowing he wouldn't stay forever if he had to keep hiding.

"She won't like it Han," he said sadly but happy that she had mentioned it.

"So she can get over it," Hanna said playfully.

"And if she kicks me out," he said well aware that the most likely outcome of dinner with the mom of the girl who he almost got pregnant who didn't know he was living in her house would be getting kicked out of said house.

"Then I'll go with you. Wherever you want to go," Hanna smiled kissing him lightly on the lips for reassurance.

"Tease," he said before getting up to leave.

"Friday night. We can have dinner and tell her you're staying here. If she doesn't like it we can leave," Hanna said setting the plan in stone.

"Are you…" Caleb began but a buzzing noise came stopped him from speaking. Hanna reached for her phone dreading the text but realized it was his phone that had gone off. "I should probably answer this. Sounds like a deal. You might wanna go ahead and pack."

Caleb walked downstairs, all the way to the basement before returning the call. He couldn't risk Hanna finding out.

"Yeah I don't know how much more I can do this," he said to the other line, "I know…but things have changed…no…I mean I do have feelings for her but they aren't getting in the way…how much?...I'm out of this Friday night."


	10. Chapter 10

Hide Away:

Hanna knew she couldn't hide him forever. He had once been easy to hide but now he was becoming harder and harder to push back into the dark. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming her friend or maybe it was because she didn't care what others thought anymore. Either way she was sick of hiding and pretending.

**Ok so originally I had this set to be chapter 9 but I decided to have more fluff and the explanation for why Caleb is staying around plus all that good stuff that happened last chapter. Anyway, here's the next chapter (which I had written before the last one so it also was reviewed to try to tie in the newest details about Hanna and Caleb). Hope you enjoy it! And like always what can I do to make it better?**

"Mom's gone. You can come out now! I made breakfast!" Hanna called down the stairs the next morning. They had avoided each other all night but they were slipping into old habits without realizing it.

"Yum food," Caleb said coming upstairs to the scent of fresh pancakes, "I didn't know the princess could cook. I was afraid you would've burnt the house down if you tried."

"Hey. You're lucky I'm being so nice. I could have just given you cereal but no I thought I would actually cook you something," Hanna said proudly but Caleb looked at her suspiciously, "Ok so it was the just add milk mix but still there was a risk of messing it up."

"Who messes up a boxed mix?" Caleb asked knowing exactly who could mess up a boxed mix.

"Well some people are culinarily challenged," Hanna said not meeting his gaze. That was the only part that had changed; they didn't look each other in the eyes.

"How about I make dinner tonight? No take out. No boxes of mac-and-cheese. No microwave dinners. Just good actual sit down and eat food," he said smiling at Hanna's shock that he could cook.

"Sounds good, as long as I don't have to help. That would be a hazard for us all," she said leaving him to eat while she went to get dressed and ready for school.

"Ready to go?" he asked from the sink where he stood doing dishes as she re-entered the kitchen twenty minutes later.

"Yep. You know you don't have to do the dishes right?" Hanna said as she looked for her keys.

"Well you cooked so I do dishes. Tonight, you're doing dishes," he said with a smirk knowing there would be a lot more dishes after dinner.

"Oh no. I don't do dishes. I put them in the dish washer and anything that actually needs washing gets left in the sink," Hanna said seriously.

"Haha…you are so much like her," Caleb laughed with a genuine smile on his face which concerned Hanna.

"Like who?" she asked, wondering what girl could make him smile like that.

"My last foster sister. You even look like her," he said looking at her sadly. He must have really liked his last foster care family.

"I'm sorry. Why don't we talk about it in the car? If we don't leave now, we'll be late," Hanna said spotting her keys and grabbing her bag.

"No its fine. You don't want to hear my whole life story. It's not all that interesting," Caleb said following her to the car but walking around to open her door for her before getting in the passenger seat.

"Actually I do. You know so much about me that not even the girls know. Like the money thing. You're the only one who knows. And I know nothing about you," Hanna said looking at him as he glanced away.

"My last foster home was the best. It was an actual biological family: a mom and dad, two girls, a boy, and a dog. They lived in a perfect neighborhood where everyone knew each other and neighbors actually borrowed a cup of sugar when they baked cookies. The family was like one of those perfect TV families from the fifties. They had a vacation home on some lake somewhere and they even took me with them. It was the first time I was actually a part of the foster family even though they never intended to take me in," he said smiling at the memories of the happier times.

"How did you end up there?" Hanna asked trying to keep the conversation going. She wanted to know more about this girl that made him so happy yet made him so sad.

"The oldest girl, Grace, was in one of my classes and we were paired up for a project so we got to know each other. Finally she asked why we always stayed at her house, and I had to tell her about my sucky foster family. She always knew when I was lying. She let me crash at her place. It started by staying for dinner and later and later until I pretty much lived there. Then she begged her parents to officially become my foster parents. And she was daddy's little princess so it happened. They went to the court the next day and became my new foster parents. They were even going to adopt me," he said smiling remembering the day he got to drive them to school in the car they would share, once she got her license, and she told all her friends he was now her brother, leaving out the foster part.

"Well what happened? They seemed liked they really wanted you," Hanna said knowing this must be where the sad part comes in. Caleb looked away and slowly took a deep breath before launching into the reason he left the first really family he ever had.

"Grace, she was smart; the girl could've gone to any college on a full ride. She had so much to live for but that perfectionism really screwed her over. She got depressed and her parents blamed me because they noticed the changes when I was there. I found out about her eating disorder and I tried to get her help but it was too late. It got so bad that her heart actually stopped. I haven't seen her since that day. Her parents refused to house me anymore after what I had done to their perfect daughter and I got shipped up here. I don't even know if she lived," he said shifting his glance back to staring out the window.

"Oh I'm so sorry. That must've been so hard," Hanna said glancing over and putting her hand on his knee, trying to comfort him in any way she could at the moment. Secretly, she relieved that there was no threat of this girl taking Caleb back.

"I was a part of their family for over a year. I was with them for Christmas and New Year's and went to the family reunions. Then the hospital wouldn't let me see her because I wasn't family and her parents were too busy blaming me to let me see her. It was awful. So now you know about me. Can we change the subject now?" he said clearly hurting from the fresh memories of the day he was told he wasn't really her brother and never would be, that he couldn't even be her foster brother anymore.

"Yeah of course," Hanna said but she couldn't think of a topic to change it to. She wanted to say something to comfort him but she couldn't think of anything except how hurt he must have been by this girl. She wanted to say she knew what the girl was feeling but Caleb didn't need another broken girl to worry about. He probably still wondered about this girl every day. They rode the rest of the way to school in an uncomfortable silence, something that was new to them. Caleb was out of the car and near the building before Hanna had even turned the car off. As she was getting out of the car herself, she was startled by the buzz of a new text.

"See how bad eating disorders hurt your lover boy. I sure hope he doesn't find out about yours. Believe it or not, I really am rooting for you two. –A"


	11. Chapter 11

**Look it's another chapter! From now on, I'll try to update every Tuesday night. That way I can try to tie in any new information from the night before and have a set weekly update! YAY! Here is yet another update to be enjoyed and like always, I wanna know what I'm doing wrong and what y'all want more of so let me know! **

Hanna didn't know what to do all day. Caleb was nowhere to be found and Spencer's cops were still watching the group carefully, so it wasn't a good idea to look like they were up to anything. She ended up spending the day with Mona, something she hadn't done in a long time. While Mona begged for details on her steamy romance with Caleb, Hanna couldn't keep her mind off of the girl who once housed Caleb. Just because her eating disorder got out of hand, didn't mean hers would. Besides, she rarely purged anymore. Not even A could make her shove her finger down her throat. She was on her way to recovery and it wasn't too late for her. At the end of the day Caleb was waiting for her at her car.

"Any allergies?" he asked suddenly putting his hand out for the keys.

"What?" Hanna said confused by his choice of greeting.

"You or your mom, are there any allergies I need to know about? Any foods you won't eat?" he continued elaborating enough for Hanna to understand his weird questions.

"Oh nope, no allergies. So you're cooking me dinner and driving me home. Someone's trying to be a gentleman," Hanna smiled as he opened the passenger seat for her and took her keys.

"Well I want to impress your mom. Hopefully she'll like me enough to let me hang out with you. After all, you are my girlfriend," he smiled once he was in the driver's seat. They continued the discussion of what to make for dinner and what not to do at the table with Hanna's mom. Many flirty touches and glances were exchanged in examples of what not to do at dinner, or more likely they were just looking for an excuse to touch each other. When they got home Caleb made a grocery list and went upstairs to clean up and get a shower while Hanna stayed downstairs to be what Caleb called her prep chef.

Suddenly a ringing noise alerted Hanna that Caleb had left his phone on the counter. She picked it up and was about to call upstairs to him when she noticed the picture covering the screen. The girl was a freaking Barbie. Her long blonde hair was extremely bright for being wet and was pulled back in a messy ponytail that showed the brightness in her sea-blue eyes. She had one of her golden, well-toned arms draped around Caleb's shoulder and the other holding up a wakeboard, just as Caleb had one arm around her waist and the other on a bigger wakeboard of his own. They were standing on a fancy ski boat and were soaking wet but laughing. The girl looked skinny but she didn't look like the anorexic models who had been hospitalized for being so underweight. Sure you could see her ribs and her hip bones were sticking out a little but the girl had abs and leg muscles of a dancer.

"She had just tried to teach me to wakeboard," a voice from behind her laughed, "I failed miserably then she got out there with me and I was able to get up for a bit. I guess I didn't want to seem like an idiot compared to her. Then we hit some wake and I was down before I even knew what happen. Of course when they came back around, she just dropped the rope and sank down gracefully next to me. She had to do everything perfectly, especially when she had the opportunity to show off."

"She's really pretty. You can't even tell she was sick," Hanna smiled at him, trying to hide her jealousy of the girl he once lived with. She was exactly the kind of girl Hanna had always used as a model during her not so great times.

"If you look closely you can see the first cuts. There's a heart carved into her left hip and a few cuts on her thighs, but she hid those with the swim shorts," he smiled sadly before taking his phone back and checking the text.

"Was it her texting you?" Hanna asked curiosity filling her mind. All she could think of all day was if the girl every thought of Caleb.

"No. That's just my background. It was the first time I felt like part of a family. Even my mom made me feel like she only put up with me because she had to," Caleb said sadly.

"Well you look like you were having fun. Do you ever think about her?" Hanna asked the question that had been on her mind all day.

"Yeah I mean I can't forget about her. I tried. I just wonder what would have happened if I had stayed," he said but looked at Hanna's saddened face "Are you jealous?"

"No," Hanna said sharply but her face gave her away.

"Don't worry. She's my sister and I'm her brother. That's it. I have to go to the store to get this stuff. Do you wanna come?" he asked changing the subject from something that he really didn't want to talk to Hanna about. As much as she wanted to be seen as flawless, she still felt flawed and he knew telling her about Grace would make her feel worse and might give her ideas.

"Sure but you're driving," Hanna said tossing him her keys as Caleb grabbed her hand and walked her to the car.

"And Hanna…she had a boyfriend, a really serious one that she loved more than anything. There was never anything between us," he said looking into her eyes so she knew he was telling the truth.

"I believe you," Hanna said as he shut the door and got into the driver's seat. Her happy moment just had to be ruined by a buzzing in her purse.

"Who is it?" Caleb said reaching over to lace his hand with hers.

"No one," she smiled back before deleting the text. If only she had stopped to read it.

"Aww. He really loves you but that doesn't mean Mommy will love him. What would she think if she knew he was driving your car around town? I don't think he's on your insurance plan. –A"


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is the next chapter I know I said I wouldn't update again until Tuesday night but I wanted to get this one posted before the next episode. Anyway, it's the last one I have ready to roll on out and the end of my pre-thought plot line. So let me know what could come next. I really need advice for the next few chapters. But I already have the end written (don't worry that doesn't mean it has to end anytime soon) and a few little ideas to get me there but that doesn't mean the story is set in stone. Anything could happen and for all I know, the plotline could do a whole 180 on me and go in the opposite direction. Never know what could happen until it's posted. On with the story!**

"Oh Hanna! Thank God you're awake. You might wanna mentally prepare yourself. Your mom is getting suspicious. She wants to know why Caleb was driving your car," Hanna vaguely heard as her eyes fluttered open.

"Fuck, not again," Hanna said as she realized where she was, "I'm never going near another car ever again."

"Hanna. We have bigger problems right now," the voice Hanna recognized as Aria's continued.

"What could be worse than my second car related injury?" Hanna moaned checking herself for any injuries. Her right wrist was wrapped and there were a couple cuts that shouldn't leave scars. She was extremely lucky. Aria and Emily exchanged glances as if communicating telepathically.

"Well Caleb was driving your car," Emily said slowly letting the words sink into Hanna's mind before opening her mouth to continue.

"Where is he? Is he ok? I need to see him!" Hanna yelled throwing the blankets off of her and getting out of bed.

"Hanna you can't right now. We have other things to discuss," Aria said as she and Emily fought to keep Hanna in her bed.

"And if this was you and Ezra, what would you do?" Hanna paused to bite back at Aria.

"Just wait and listen to us first. Then I'll take you to see him," Emily bargained with Hanna ignoring the 'that wasn't our plan' look she was getting from Aria.

"Fine. But talk quickly," she said sitting on the edge of her bed, ready to pounce up and run into Caleb's room.

"You're mom is suspicious. We told her that he was driving you home because you felt sick and had taken some pain meds that would make you dizzy so you called him," Emily explained the less than awful part of what had to be said.

"Ok so can I go see him now?" Hanna said. Sure it was great that her friends told her the cover story but she really just wanted to see Caleb and stay in his arms.

"Not yet," Emily said cautiously leaving it to be explained by Aria.

"Spencer is in serious trouble," Aria began but was interrupted by an impatient Hanna.

"I couldn't care less about her right now. Can I just go see Caleb please?" Hanna said using her perfect sad face directed at Emily.

"Fine but I should warn you. You were lucky. Caleb isn't in such great shape," Emily said as she helped Hanna up and out to Caleb's room across the hall.

"Now remember he wasn't as lucky as you but nothing is life-threatening," Emily said pulling Hanna to the side and explaining. But her voice wasn't the only one Hanna heard.

"No Jenna. I don't know anything new. I told you all I know. Yes I'm sure; it's all over between me and her. Now just bring me the money," Caleb's voice was heard on the other side of the door.

"You…you…ugh! I trusted you! You were just using me to get information. I thought you actually cared," Hanna said as she flung open his door and marched to his bed. She would've hit him repeatedly but she realized how bad he had taken the accident and was already in enough pain. Emily stood idly by the door unsure of what to do before deciding to step out and listen for any signs of the possible attempt on Caleb's life that might play out in the next few minutes.

"Hanna let me explain," he groaned as he tried to catch her arm before she stormed out.

"Fine. You have one minute. Go," she said hoping he would give her a damn good reason for what he did. He at least deserved the chance to explain. After all, she had done some pretty bad things too and he never questioned her.

"She knew that I had worked on Emily's phone and offered me money to make myself available to you. She wanted me to listen in on your conversations. I needed the money and I thought it was just typical bitch fight stuff. But then I got to know you and there was whatever it was between us. After you let me stay in your basement, I actually started to like you and I thought you liked me and since I've been living in your house, I've been lying to her. But she started using the fact I liked you to pull you closer to me. She gave me money to make you love me, to do things that I wanted to do but felt wrong when she gave me the money. Then she asked me to leave you and break your heart. I couldn't. So I told her I was done taking her money and I wanted out. She offered one last mission, task, whatever. She said if I came clean with our relationship-or whatever it was-to your mom and got sent away she would leave you alone and offered me cash. I thought she might be this A person who was scaring you so badly so I took her offer. I thought it would benefit both of us. I was just trying to protect you," he said wincing as he tried to pull her closer.

"…I don't…" Hanna began slowly thinking about each word before it left her lips. She finally began to speak but was interrupted.

"Your mom already knows. She told me to get out of your house and stay out of your life. You don't have to say the same thing. I get it I'm a jerk. I just didn't want this to end up the way it did with Grace, in a hospital without anything being said. Just go back to your room and you can think whatever. Aria already brought me all my stuff from your house. I won't go back this time," he said letting her go.

"I didn't…" Hanna started but was interrupted again but this time by a different voice.

"Hanna? What are you doing in there? Get back to your room," Mrs. Marin called from the hall, very upset with both her daughter and Caleb. Hanna trudged back to her room suddenly very tired.

"Excuse me, where would I find Caleb Rivers," another new voice rang out down the hall sounding alarm bells in Hanna's head.

"Just down the hall to the left, room 316. Do you need me to walk you?" the attendant asked the dark haired girl.

"No. I'm sure I can find my way. Thank you though," the voice finished as the small clinks of her metal cane echoed down the hall, getting closer with each tap against the tile.


	13. Chapter 13

**So here is the next chapter. Anyway…the usual let me know if I suck stuff…and yeah…enjoy! **

**Oh real quick (you don't have to read this if you don't want to it's just my justification) the reason I have A hating on Hanna so much isn't just because she's the main character. This is how I see things: **_**Spencer doesn't have a real secret as of right now. A can play tricks on her and that's fun but there's not much to threaten her with. Emily's secret is out. There's not much A can do with it, except taunt her. That only leaves Aria. Aria's secret is serious. A could use her but I don't think it would give the same results as her using Hanna. Aria would be heartbroken if she lost Mr. Fitz but I don't think she would spiral into a deep depression and feel pathetic and like no one loves her like Hanna would if she lost another guy. So that's why I think A seems to hate Hanna the most. She's just an easy target. Hating yourself can be a serious weakness and lead to the need for approval from someone you never had approval from (Hanna's need for approval from a guy that she is beautiful and is worth something probably stems from her daddy issues) and Hanna has some pretty bad self-esteem and worth issues. **_

**Anyway that's just my theory now that all that is out of the way we can continue with the story.**

"I can't believe this. I should've known. I should've seen it coming," Hanna sobbed to her friends once her mom left for work.

"Shh…it's ok. We all should've known. But it'll get better. I promise," Aria said as she rubbed Hanna's back and let her cry on her shoulder.

"But you all knew he was bad. But I didn't listen to you. I should've listened," Hanna sobbed. As much as she hated to admit it, Spencer was right.

"He wasn't all bad. At least he tried to protect you from her in the end," Emily said trying to say anything that would make Hanna stop crying.

"And at least we have more proof that A is Jenna now. Spencer and Toby haven't found anything," Aria added trying to go along with Emily's look at the bright side policy.

"Where is she anyway?" Hanna paused to ask. She was somewhat glad that Spencer wasn't here to say 'I told you so' because she was already in enough pain without Spencer making her feel stupid.

"She's pretty much on house arrest. Her parents don't want her doing anything except go to church and go to school. They want to make sure she's not seen doing anything that could make people suspicious," Aria explained quickly as Hanna continued to cry onto her shoulder.

"Good news Miss Marin, You can go home as soon as you sign this release form. Your mom already signed it and said your friends would be taking you home and staying with you. If that's correct we can let you leave," the nurse said reading the charts as she walked into the room.

"Thank you," Hanna said with a shaky voice as she reached for the paper.

"I'm sorry was I interrupting something? If this is about the boy who was with you, he's a lot better than he looks. He'll probably be able to leave sometime next week," the nurse said with a fake smile and a way too peppy attitude. Her intentions to make the girl feel better back fired miserably as the girl began to shake as she tried to hold in her sobs.

"Can I just go now?" Hanna asked with an even more distraught voice.

"Yeah…I'm just going to go now," the attendant said realizing her mistake.

"I'll be right back," Aria said as she quickly got up and ran across the hall.

"Do you need anything else from Hanna's house? She's going home today and doesn't need to see any of your stuff there. You broke her heart," Aria said quickly ready to Caleb-proof Hanna's house.

"No. But can you tell her to talk to me?" he asked while staying motionless in his bed.

"I won't make any promises," Aria said as his face fell. She couldn't tell if he was depressed because of his injuries or because Hanna wasn't talking to him. Either way she left his room without another word.

"Ready to go Han?" Aria asked once she re-entered her friend's room.

"Yeah," she replied sadly as she pulled on a jacket her mom had brought her and looked across the room to the boy she loved who had broken her heart.

"Just tell me where my bestie is! I need to find her! She was in a car accident with her boy toy! She needs me!" a peppy voice was heard towards the attendant's desk.

"I'm sorry. She's been released," the woman replied unable to stand this overly dramatic teen for much longer.

"Oh Hanna! Thank God I found you," Mona squealed as she ran to hug her bestie.

"Too tight," Hanna managed to get out as Mona nearly squished her to death.

"Sorry," Mona said releasing Hanna and ignoring the other girls, "So where's sketchy? I thought he would be here carrying you out fairytale romance style."

"No more fairytale romance for me," Hanna said with a shrug. If she told everyone she was ok and done with him then maybe she would start to believe it for herself.

"Oh Sweetie…I'm so sorry. I knew all along he was going to hurt you. I should've kicked him out of your house a long time ago. I'm such a bad bestie," Mona exclaimed as if she was staring in some day-time soap.

"It's ok. He had me fooled," Hanna said ready to change topics.

"No it's not ok. He hurt you and I don't like to see you hurt. What room is he in? I'll go take care of this right now," Mona said ready to continue the Lifetime movie she had made out of her life.

"It's ok. The car accident was damaging enough. Poor bastard has multiple broken ribs, fractured wrist, and some cuts that will probably scar," Hanna said smiling at the karma of it.

"Ok girlie let's get you home," Mona smiled linking arms with Hanna.

"Actually I'm really not up for girl time Mona. Emily and Aria were going to drive me home," Hanna said adding a yawn for emphasis. If Mona thought Hanna was just going home to sleep, then she wouldn't want to take her home.

"Ok well feel better. You sure you don't want me to make sure sketchy won't ever reproduce?" Mona smiled hoping to make her friend laugh.

"I'm sure," Hanna smiled weakly before allowing Aria and Emily to continue taking her outside to the car.

"I'll go get the car so you don't have to walk," Emily said as they stepped outside.

"Caleb wanted me to tell you he still loves you. He wants to explain but I don't think that's the best idea right now. He won't be going back to your house. Are you sure you're ok with this?" Aria said once Emily left.

"I will be eventually," Hanna said looking away so Aria wouldn't see the tears building up in her eyes.

"I got a text from A. She sent me this last week," Aria said seriously as she showed Hanna a picture of her and Caleb in bed together with the caption 'Careful with Ezra. If you end up like them, your baby daddy will go to jail for it. –A'.

"That bitch," Hanna said to herself as she read what A had sent Aria. She never intended to let her friends know she had ever thought for a second she might be pregnant.

"Please tell me you're not…you know…pregnant," Aria whispered, "Know that we would be there for you but still. You're too young to be a mom. And I know this would keep Caleb around. Oh God Hanna. You weren't trying to get pregnant and trap him into staying were you? You told him already right?"

"Ok you caught me. I'm pregnant and now the dad left me even though he promised to stay. My life is a soap opera now and a shitty day-time one too," Hanna said sarcastically although the look on Aria's face made it clear that her sarcasm wasn't obvious enough.

"Hanna…I never thought you would be the one to end up like this. I'm sorry. You aren't considering an abortion or anything right?" Aria said pulling her friend close for the tears she assumed would come next.

"No. Chill. It was just a scare. It's been taken care of," Hanna said as she pulled away from Aria.

"If it makes you feel better. I know he would have stayed if you were. He still really loves you. I can tell. I want to believe you two would've been together for a long time. You were so cute. And it wasn't like the way you were with Sean. It seemed so real," Aria said as she tried to get Hanna to open up and put some sort of label on what she and Caleb's relationship or lack-there-of was. She and the other girls had never known much about what went on when they were home. It seemed so full of emotions on both parts that it couldn't just be meaningless physical attraction yet here they were: sitting in the cold trying to nurse Hanna's broken heart.

"Yeah well I don't even know what was real and what was done for money anymore," Hanna sighed.

"He said he wanted to do what he did even without the money. He said he even returned it," Aria said quickly-too quickly, earning an 'I'm not stupid' look from Hanna, "Ok I lied he didn't say that…but I just want you to know I don't think it was all an act."

"Thanks," Hanna said and she would've said more but Emily had brought the car around and she was ready to go home in silence. Unfortunately she should've known A would ruin everything she wanted; even silence can be broken by a small buzzing noise.

"I take it back. Call Mona and tell her to kick his ass," Hanna said as she opened the new text from A.

"Oh no, it seems that Caleb broke your heart. Too bad. Now who's going to protect you from big bad blind girl? At least you don't have to worry about your mom finding him in your bed anymore. Oh wait. You do. I still have picture evidence of your romance and a receipt from the pharmacy where you bought the Plan B. Because you weren't careful enough and Mommy might still find out. –A"


	14. Chapter 14

**I had the most amazing dream last night, I reconnected with an old friend with a hot brother and their last name was Blackburn but I can't remember his name so it turned out to be Tyler and amazing-ness ensued. Somehow he introduced me to the writers and then I ended up helping with the styling for the show (actually it was more like being the practice model for all of Hanna's outfits and hairstyles then keeping all the clothes after filming). I even convinced them to keep Caleb around for multiple episodes. Unfortunately it turned out to be just a dream so I'm stuck writing on here for now. Anyway enjoy the next chapter! Actually there's not a whole lot to enjoy. It's a short filler chapter to get to the next chapter which will be better I promise. Poor Hanna got her heart broken.**

Hanna stood in front of her open refrigerator, just staring at it. Inside, her mind was at war with itself. To eat or not to eat…that was the question. She had gone twenty four hours without doing anything but sitting in her room and crying and occasionally sleeping. Now as much as she hated to admit it she needed to eat something. But she had to be careful. She would not resort to binging like she had so many times before. She would not let her emotions win this time. She was more powerful than that.

At least that's what she told herself. An hour later, it was hard to convince herself she was past her problem as she was surrounded by empty food containers. She felt like shit. She knew she shouldn't have given in to her emotions and eaten like the pig she used to be but she also knew she had to eat. Unfortunately, once she got started it was so hard to stop. She realized she was slipping back into her old pattern again except this time she had enough control not to end up where she would have all those times before.

But maybe once just this once it was ok she thought, as she found herself curled around the toilet bowl that had once been her best friend after binges like this. But she wouldn't let this nasty old habit find itself back in her unconscious routine. She was better than that now. Besides, Caleb wasn't worth it. He wasn't going to ruin her. She wouldn't let that happen. He had been her first love and he had been using her but that didn't mean she wasn't good enough for anyone. If anything, it meant that she was too good for him. Yes, that was it. She was too good for him.

But anyone was too good for him. Even people as flawed as her were too good for the jerk she had once-no still loved. Even people who weren't good enough for themselves like her were too good for the one who had broken her heart beyond repair. She wasn't even good enough for her own dad but she was too good for Caleb. Maybe if she was just a little skinnier she would be good enough for her dad. After all, he had left when she was fat and called her once she was skinny.

And she had been gaining weight lately. Caleb had a way of making her eat. He looked so hurt when she didn't that it made her feel guilty. It was probably because of that Grace girl…actually probably not because the story about Grace was most likely just another lie he told her after he heard her purging but didn't want to say anything. She would have bet money that Jenna paid him to knock her down from her popularity perch. If she was fat then she wouldn't be popular and if she wasn't popular it would make her an even easier target for A. Of course, she should've known Caleb just wanted his money.

Thinking of the devil made her want to cry. Some small part of her wanted to find something he had left behind and use it as a motive for talking to him but another part was terrified of what she might do if she found something important to him. She was already regretting her most recent revival of her old tradition and if she was reminded of him then it might become a permanent addition to her daily routine. But she wanted him back so badly that she felt sick without him. She knew how cliché and stupid she was being but she didn't care. She just wanted her Caleb back. But he was never really hers to claim. All she knew was that she wanted him with her. She wanted to feel his arms around her and smell his cheap cologne; although it was some pretty awful stuff she associated it with comfort now. She just really needed that comfort she had gotten so used to.

That's when she had the brilliant or stupid, she hadn't decided yet, idea. She practically flew down the basement stairs, taking them four at a time and jumped onto the couch that had been Caleb's makeshift bed. Luckily for her, he had left the sheets exactly the way they were when he was still sleeping there. She pulled the sheets around her in pseudo arms and made the pillows into his chest. She lay there for awhile pretending it was really him who was holding her. She could still smell his scent on the thin sheets wrapped around her waist and almost feel his hair tickling her neck.

She stayed like that until she was on the verge of sleep but not a fitful, fearful sleep like she hadn't been able to escape from the day before. This was a good sleep, the kind she got when Caleb was just laying with her. But as her thoughts wandered to the boy who was laying in a hospital bed alone, she realized maybe what he had done wasn't too terrible. After all, he did try to protect her; he wasn't lying about that. The fracture on his right wrist matched up with a bruise on her chest. He had tried to keep her from the air bag. He wasn't a totally bad guy.

No. No. No. She wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. She wasn't supposed to allow herself to overlook the fact he had been using her, even if he had been very attractive and strong and protective and…no. These feelings were not ok. She had to get over him. He was no good for her. Everyone was right. There was no reason for her to let him back into her life. Well, except the fact she still loved him. But how could she trust him now? She couldn't. She didn't need another untrustworthy person in her life right now. She had too many secrets and with A still trying to make her life hell there was no room for another deceitful asshole.


	15. Chapter 15

**So here's another chapter. Insert annoying author's note stuff you really don't care about reading and disclaimer because I still haven't managed to gets rights (just can't track down my old friend)…but it seems like the writers might have been reading my story (check out the Canadian promo). Blah blah blah. Enjoy!**

"Hanna! Get up!" Mona yelled as she threw clothes on top of Hanna's bed, "Get dressed. Your time for being like this is over. It's been a month and he-who-must-not-be-named is coming back to school today. Put on something sexy and make him feel pathetic."

"Voldemort is coming to Rosewood?" Hanna rolled her eyes as she pulled the covers back over her head.

"No. Sketchy's back. I know you've been really hurting lately but now's you r chance to show him how much better you are without him. Come on, be fabulous Hanna Marin again," Mona continued plundering through Hanna's closet and drawers trying to find something hot enough that it would scream at Caleb that her bestie was over him and back on the market.

"Ugh do I have to?" Hanna groaned as Mona got frustrated with her and pulled her out of bed, shoving what she deemed the perfect sexy outfit into Hanna's arms and shoving her toward the bathroom.

"Yes. You want to show him that he's missing out because you're freaking awesome," Mona chirped from the outside of the bathroom as Hanna pulled on an outfit far too skimpy for her taste but she didn't really care what she looked like, she hadn't cared in awhile. She had no one to impress lately.

"You sure this is school appropriate?" Hanna asked as she walked out of the bathroom. It was a struggle to keep the skirt from riding up with every step she took.

"No. But no one cares," Mona said and Hanna got her first glimpse of Mona's outfit of choice. It was almost as skimpy as the one she was wearing.

"But I feel so gross," Hanna moaned as she looked herself over in the mirror. The skirt she was wearing had fit perfectly last spring but now it seemed like it was barely holding on. The top, however, fit nicely. The loose material covered up the gut she knew she was beginning to form as a result of Caleb's absence. She had been strong enough not to purge but not strong enough to stop herself from binging. She cursed Caleb for doing this to her every time she stepped on the scale and saw the numbers whirl.

"Fine. You can change skirt but the top has to stay. It's perfect cleavage and you know they were Caleb's favorite toys in his new home," Mona smiled at her friend before letting her change the scrap of fabric Mona referred to as a skirt to a more comfortable skirt that actually consisted of enough fabric to cover her ass.

"Good enough?" Hanna asked stepping out of her room to show her outfit to Mona who gave her a smile and a pair of heels.

"Super sexy," Mona deemed given her bestie the Mona Vanderwall seal of approval before whipping a humongous bag of makeup out of nowhere and beginning her work.

"Can we go now?" Hanna asked as she looked at herself in the mirror an hour later. She was back. She was perfect, flawless, Hanna Marin again. The mask was back as if it had never cracked and she would walk down those halls like she ruled the school. She was back to her old pre-Caleb self. No need to let emotions take control. Better yet, no need to even feel emotions.

"Of course!" Mona smiled grabbing her bag and returning the makeup back to where it came from before they walked outside with their arms linked. They parted ways to their respective cars to drive to school, where they again went their own way.

"Hanna!" Emily called as she waved over her friend in the hallway.

"Hey so…what's up?" Hanna asked as she hugged her friend.

"You seem different today," Emily said while scanning the halls.

"Well yeah. I'm back. A isn't going to ruin me that easily. Anyway what's up with you? You seem…I don't know nervous I guess?" Hanna asked trying to change the topic. She didn't want them knowing she was just acting because Caleb was coming back today.

"Paige," Emily sighed and Hanna knew what the problem was. Ever since Paige's father stormed into the school with his unnecessary comments, Emily had been acting weird.

"Is she still talking about you?" Hanna asked ready to go take care of the problem.

"No no. That's not it at all. Can I tell you something? You have to promise to keep it a secret," Emily said as she looked around to make sure she could say what she had been wanting to tell someone forever.

"Paige and I are together. But she still hasn't come out to her parents. It's getting really tiring and I don't know how much more of it I can take," Emily said once she was sure they weren't being spied on.

"If you're really that tired of her, why don't you just end things now?" Hanna asked as she spotted Caleb.

"…Hanna? Did you hear me?" Emily asked once she had finished explaining only to realize she didn't have Hanna's attention anymore. Instead Hanna was staring at her phone with utter disgust.

"Looks like your knight in shining armor is back at school. Maybe the two of you could go find an empty classroom and work out all your problems. Pick the right room and you might get a special reward. –A"

"Sorry Em. I gotta go," Hanna said staring at Caleb and hoping he hadn't seen her. When she realized he had, she made a run for it, something very difficult to do in the heels she was wearing but she didn't want to face him yet.

"Emily right? You were just talking to Hanna. Do you know where she went?" Caleb asked running up to Emily as soon as Hanna was gone.

"No. She just saw you and bolted. You really hurt her," Emily said realizing why Hanna ran and walking away herself to leave Caleb all alone staring at his phone and very confused.

"Looks like the Princess is really over you. Or at least running away from you. How do you ever expect her to love you back after you broke her heart? Trying getting her alone. You know she wouldn't say no to seeing you naked again. –A"


	16. Chapter 16

**Yay another chapter. I meant to add this last night but my internet decided to hate me. Well anyway…this is the last one for today…and might be the last one until Sunday night. I'll try to get one up tomorrow but I'm not making any promises. So enjoy it!**

"So you seriously think you can keep avoiding him?" Aria asked as they stood at Hanna's locker.

"I've been successful for the past week so I think it's going to work. Plus I have you and Emily to watch behind me. It's a perfect plan," Hanna said mentally running through her checklist for the weekend as her perfectly polished finger danced lazily across the books in her locker.

"Speaking of behind you," Aria said motioning toward Caleb at the end of the hall in the most obvious gesture ever.

"What…oh fuck," Hanna said looking up and meeting Caleb's eyes before looking anywhere else awkwardly and slamming her locker door. He took one step toward her and she started running for anywhere that she could hide from him.

"Hanna!" Caleb called after her quickly retreating form before breaking into a run quicker than hers.

"Just leave me alone," she shouted back as he got close enough to grab her arm and pull her to him.

"No. We need to talk and you keep running," Caleb said dragging her into an abandoned classroom; even the teacher was long gone.

"Well maybe I don't want to talk to you," Hanna said exasperatedly looking for any way out of this uncomfortable situation. She had finally convinced herself that he was no good and she needed to get over him but standing here with him made her rethink that decision.

"Well maybe I'm sick of your shit," Caleb spat stinging Hanna deep down despite her attempts to let him hurt her again.

"If you're so sick of me, why don't you just leave me alone?" Hanna asked coldly still avoiding his eyes.

"Tried that. But I can't just leave you. Plus this A bitch is really pissing me off. I keep getting texts telling me to…it doesn't matter. What the hell did you get me into?" Caleb said loosening his grip on Hanna's arms but not enough to let her go.

"I didn't get you into anything. You got yourself into this mess of my life and you can get yourself out of it. Like now," Hanna said attempting to slip her hands free from Caleb's but instead he just pulled her closer.

"I told you. I tried that. But as long as I'm still in Rosewood, I'm still in your life whether I want to be or not. So tell this A person to fuck off," Caleb said through gritted teeth. He was obviously trying not to snap because if he did he would hurt the girl in front of him that he still cared about, although he would never admit it to himself.

"Oh if only it were that simple. Then maybe my life wouldn't be hell and I wouldn't have slept with you or brought you up to my room. Hell we probably wouldn't have even met," Hanna said trying to put on a brave face and seem like she was in control, but in reality Caleb was scaring her and it was all she could do to keep herself from shaking like a coward in his presence.

"Well life is never simple for Princess. Everything just has to be so damn difficult. Don't blame other people for your own emotions. You'll never win that way," Caleb chastised pulling her so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.

"I told you. A makes me do things I don't want to because she has something on me that could send my mom to jail. And my life is nowhere near perfect as you've seen," Hanna said on the verge of giving into her fear of Caleb.

"Well how do I get rid of her?" Caleb asked ready to be done with this mess that Rosewood had given him. All he got from moving here was a broken heart from falling in love with the wrong girl…sure that was part his fault but she was too stubborn to give him a chance to explain.

"Even if I knew, I still wouldn't tell you," Hanna said finding enough courage to stand her ground.

"Why…" Caleb began but was interrupted by the ping of his phone, "See what she's saying? This needs to stop." He pushed his phone into her hands, trying to prove a point.

"Cute. You got her talking. Now try the next step. You know you want to. It's been so long since you kissed her. Maybe it'll turn into more and she'll take you home to her bed again. Bonus money for Arizona if you get her on Mr. Fitz's desk. –A"

"See. This A is driving me insane," Caleb began but was interrupted again but this time by the buzz of Hanna's phone.

"Don't worry Han. Ezra already went home with his dirty little secret. He'll never know. Don't you want to feel beautiful again? Caleb can make you feel worth it. –A"

"Who was it?" Caleb asked assuming it was A trying to convince Hanna of doing exactly what they wanted.

"Oh my mom. She's not going to be home until late and wanted to let me know," Hanna lied.

"So you sure there's no way to get rid of A?" Caleb asked putting his phone back in his pocket, "I've tried everything to block her from texting me but she keeps finding loopholes."

"Let's just do it. You need the money for Arizona and once you're gone, you'll be out of my life and A will leave you alone. Come on," Hanna said reluctantly dragging Caleb to Mr. Fitz's room. She wanted Caleb's approval more than anything she ever wanted before and now was her chance. It was a win-win for both of them. He would get money and leave. Then once he was gone, she could get over him and find her own happily-ever-after without him.

"That's stupid. You're just going to give into A like that? I should've told you A was texting me a long time ago," Caleb said not able to fully process what was about to happen. Sure he wanted it. He had wanted it for a long time but he didn't want to force her to do it.

"It's the only way to get her to leave us alone for now. If we don't we'll just keep getting texts. This way you can get your money and get out of my life," Hanna said pushing herself up onto Mr. Fitz's desk and pulling off her shirt once Caleb shut the door and pulled the shades behind them.

"You're sure about this?" Caleb asked pulling off his own shirt. By now it was getting late and the school was pretty much empty. It was a Friday night and practically everyone had gone home as soon as the bell rang.

"Let's just get this over with," Hanna said hooking her fingers into Caleb's pants and pulling him towards her. He accepted, putting each hand on either side of her and bringing his face to hers. He started with light kisses but Hanna was quickly past that pulling on his belt. He responded by kissing the tops of her breasts spilling over the cup, knowing how much she loved that the first and last time they had done anything. She wound her fingers in his hair and enjoyed the feeling of his lips on her chest. She pulled his hair gently bringing him back up to her face where she placed careful kisses as he ran his hands over her body, pulling her so the gap between them closed. She let her hands fall from his hair and placed them on his, leading him in the act of pushing her skirt up for access. They were moaning into each other and running their hands all over the other when they heard the voices in the hall.

"Hanna?" Aria whispered as she walked into the room.

"Uhm…it's not what it looks like," Hanna said pushing her skirt back down and reaching for her shirt as Caleb found his own.

"You…you better get dressed. Mr. Fitz is on his way back here with my mom," Aria said hurrying them out the door.

"No need to talk again," Hanna said looking him directly in the eyes and giving him the coldest glare she could muster. He didn't even have a chance to say anything back before she sprinted off, heels in hand, for the parking lot. He would've gone after her but knew better than to chase her when she was behind the wheel of a car that could easily mow him down. This could wait. Sooner or later they would have to talk. But until then, he would just have to settle for glances in the halls…and whatever this twisted A person had them do he was reminded when his phone alerted him of a new text.

"Close but not close enough. You get your money but no bonus. She still hasn't cracked. If you destroy her I will personally pay for your trip to see Mommy. –A"

**I know I don't usually have an end author's note but I just wanted to apologize for anything that seems out of character or rushed. Don't worry though; it will all be explained next chapter, when Hanna explains what was going on to Aria. Now I'm a little stuck on story ideas though, so anything you would like to see happen in the next few chapters can only be added to the plotline if you tell me. So let me know what could happen next and what I suck at. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Well I almost got this up last night but I was just so tired. Anyway here's today's chapter, I know its short but it gets me to a point where I have a lot of good stuff written already and I can't wait to get to that. But if you're interested, my theory on what will happen in the season finale is at the bottom in another author's note, you don't have to read it if you don't want to its just there because I had to put it somewhere. Also, I have to have surgery sometime soon which either means I will be bored out of my mind and updating constantly or I will feel like crap and not update for awhile; probably the second seeing as I don't handle surgery of any kind very well. But the good news is I have a few weeks before that awful process. Here's to hoping somebody screwed up. So here's next chapter for y'all to enjoy!**

"Ok Hanna, you better have a good explanation," Aria said once Hanna opened the door for her the next morning.

"Wow, you can't wait to come in before you start the questioning?" Hanna responded shutting the door behind her friend and returning to her wallowing state in the kitchen.

"Put down the ice cream. You had your pity party over him already. Don't fall back into his trap. He's just going to hurt you again," Aria said closing the container and putting it up while Hanna put her head down on the counter.

"I didn't mean to. He showed me a text he got from A. It said that if we did what you caught us doing, then A would pay him and he said he wouldn't be out of my life until he was out of Rosewood so…then A texted me. She said that I was useless but Caleb could make me feel beautiful again," Hanna whined with her head still down, muffling her words.

"I'm sorry, you were mumbling," Aria said rubbing her friends back trying to comfort the obviously upset blonde.

"A offered him money that he needed so he can leave Rosewood. I can't really get over him until he's gone," Hanna sobbed lifting her head enough to be heard, "Haven't you ever done something stupid because A told you to?"

"Not something that had consequences like that. You've already had one scare, what's it going to take for you to be more careful? Hanna you need to stop and think. Don't just jump into Caleb's arms because A tells you to. Look where that got you last time. You ended up heartbroken. You have to learn from your mistake or you'll keep running back to him. And then there won't be any benefit from getting hurt," Aria explained trying to keep it as little like a lecture as she could.

"Well not doing what A says has consequences too. As long as she has something against my mom I have to do what she says. It's not like I want to follow A blindly. I have to. And if A wants me to take Caleb back I will. But if she doesn't want him back here then I can't forgive him," Hanna sobbed leaning her head on Aria's shoulder.

"You can still forgive him Hanna. If you think he deserves to be forgiven then forgive him. Don't wait around for him to give up and leave. You know you were the only reason he stayed as long as he has. Now that you aren't talking to him, even after your little stunt, what's to keep him where he doesn't want to be? He obviously doesn't feel wanted here," Aria said asking the question Hanna didn't want to hear or even admit that it was a valid point.

"He doesn't have enough money to leave yet," Hanna said sadly. She wanted to rip him off like a band-aid and be done with him but he was proving to be very hard to get rid of.

"And when he does have enough money to go?" Aria asked hoping to reason with Hanna into either taking Caleb back or finishing all contact with him. Her life was enough of a mess without the on again off again weirdness of a relationship they had or didn't have.

"He'll be gone on the first bus to Arizona," Hanna said with a sigh that clearly confirmed her undecided position on the good or bad thing debate.

"Are you ok with that?" Aria asked pushing Hanna one step closer to a confession she needed to say.

"I have to be. It's his life to do what he wants with," Hanna said sadly which was almost as good as admitting her feelings for the homeless boy she had once given a home to.

"Then why did you put yourself back in the position to be hurt when he leaves. I thought you were over him," Aria lied hoping that Hanna would just say that she still loved the boy.

"I was almost over him but then I saw him again, and not just the across the hall glimpse. We actually stood in front of each other and I looked at him and he was still Caleb. I couldn't remember what he did wrong and then he needed me. He actually needed me for something and I didn't care what it was. He still loved me, or at least still thought I was pretty enough. He made me feel good so I just went along with what A wanted us to do. And I felt pretty and it was worth it," Hanna said avoiding looking at Aria because she knew her friend would disapprove her reasoning.

"And you think that what you did makes sense? Hanna…you're in a really bad place right now. I get it. But that doesn't mean you can go around whoring yourself out. Especially not to the one who mad you so upset like this. Come on. Let's go to Spencer's and have our girls' night. I promise I won't let her go on a tangent about Caleb. Please? You'll feel so much better than you would if you stayed home alone," Aria said helping her friend work up the strength to go upstairs and change.

"Have you seen my keys?" Hanna asked when she came back downstairs wearing real clothes instead of the pajamas she had been wearing when she went up. She wiped some tears as she grabbed her purse off the table.

"No but it doesn't matter. I'm not letting you drive. Driving when you're angry or hurt just makes you distracted and you run the risk of an accident. I think you've had enough accidents for the next few years at least," Aria laughed but realized Hanna hadn't found it as funny.

"Fine but if I want to leave you have to promise to bring me home," Hanna said still in a foul mood.

"Deal," Aria said as the two went out to her car and continued to Spencer's in silence.

**So here's what I think happens. This is based off the Canadian promo on YouTube (I'm not Canadian but that promo is so much better) and the previews which don't show a whole lot. Hanna finds out about the note and talks to Mona about it. Mona plays the best-friend-looking-out-for-you card and apologizes, saying if she knew how much Hanna really cared about him she would have given her the note. Hanna asks what it said. Mona tells her that he was leaving for Arizona and still loves her. Hanna freaks out and calls Caleb and begs him to come home to her. She says she'll come get him but gets caught up with some A stuff with the girls and is running late. Caleb gets sick of waiting and gets a ride from Lucas back to Rosewood because Lucas was driving around being a creep. (I've never really liked Lucas, and I'm really upset to see that he's back.) The promo shows Lucas driving someone but it's really hard to tell who and at the end it shows Caleb with what I think is a car window behind him. Anyway Hanna shows up just in time to see Lucas and Caleb's car crash. We see Hanna crying again which leads us to the conclusion that someone was hurt pretty badly. Unfortunately, I think they might kill off Caleb since he wasn't in the books and he's pretty much done with his contribution to the story, except if he and Hanna get back together but like I said, he's pretty much as good as gone. So sad…but luckily I might just be completely wrong as it's kinda hard to tell much of anything from the promo since its all dark. The rest of the plotline that can be predicted from the promo is pretty obvious. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok here's the next chapter. And we finally can move on to some good stuff…maybe even fluff later. I still haven't tracked down my friend's brother…but I did one better. I found my own Caleb…a wet oven mitt and fingerless gloves wearing boy with long brown hair, gorgeous eyes, a disregard for rules and an 'I can handle myself' attitude. He even calls me Princess…hmmm…scary how life works sometimes. So if they do kill off Caleb I'll still get to hear his witty remarks and enjoy his long hair. Yep y'all are jealous…so enjoy this somewhat little chapter and let me know what needs work.**

Aria stood at her locker trying to decide what to do about Hanna. She had enough to worry about on her own with this Jackie person, but she still felt obligated to help Hanna with her Caleb problem. As long as Hanna was still pouting they could get nothing done about A and Hanna still refused to talk to Caleb about what he knew and what he had told Jenna. After failed attempts on her part as well as both Spencer and Emily, they agreed Hanna would be the only one able to get anything from him. That was also agreed upon by Caleb who when asked what he knew responded by a short 'I will only talk to Hanna', which got them nowhere since they were back to the not talking on Hanna's part. She began to walk to the familiar brown couches where the girls had agreed to meet when she felt a strong arm grab her.

"What the…Caleb?" Aria questioned when she realized who had pulled her out of the crowded hall.

"Expecting someone else?" Caleb said as he leaned against the wall coolly.

"No…I just…You surprised me. I thought you would only talk to Hanna…What do you want?" Aria said going from lying to confused to shocked to aggravated, all in a short amount of time.

"You're the one who brought me my stuff in the hospital. Can you just help me again?" Caleb asked blocking Aria from the door.

"No. Hanna's my friend. I was doing that for her. Not for you. If her mom had found your stuff she would've been in serious trouble. And after what you did last Friday, I wouldn't be surprised if she kept her distance from you forever. What were you thinking? She wasn't stuck on you enough so you had to make her think you still love her," Aria said looking around to make sure Hanna wouldn't seen her talking to the traitor.

"Look I made a mistake but I need to talk to her. Can you just tell her that we really need to talk? It's important and she needs to know," Caleb said trying to keep this conversation as short and to the point as possible. Any unnecessary rambling would get him no second chance.

"Just leave Hanna alone. She has too much to deal with right now and she's already an emotional wreck. She doesn't need you trying to convince her to forgive you," Aria fumed as she zoned in on her mom stopped still in the hall trying to communicate with her.

"I'm not trying to get her to take me back unless she wants to. I miss her. Just please get her to talk to me or at least let me talk to her," Caleb pleaded trying to keep her attention.

"You should really be having this conversation with her," Aria said as she stormed off avoiding her mom's very obvious facial expressions and gestures, leaving a hurt Caleb behind.

"Caleb's looking for you. He wants to talk to you," Aria said slamming her bag down and plopping onto the couch.

"Great. Did he follow you?" Hanna asked ready to gather her things and run.

"Nope. You're lucky. Some teacher stopped him. I don't think he could catch up that quickly. Chill," Aria said ready to change the topic to something that wouldn't make Hanna ready to run.

"Ok," Hanna said looking around cautiously before accepting Aria's answer.

"You guys need to be careful. My mom said that the cops watching me are probably gonna start watching you too. Something about accessories to murder or something but don't worry. They're just trying to scare us," Spencer whispered when she caught sight of Officer Reynolds by the doors.

"Well as long as he isn't crashing in my basement and secretly spying on me, I don't give a damn," Hanna said following Spencer's eyes to the spot the officer was standing.

"Just be careful ok?" Spencer warned as the bell rang and they made their way to class.

"Miss Marin, that outfit is not school appropriate. This is your third dress code violation this month. I believe the punishment is detention," a teacher said stopping Hanna in the hall to give her the slip.

"And this day just keeps getting better," Hanna mumbled to herself as she stuffed the slip in her purse and continued to class.

When Hanna walked into the detention room that afternoon, she knew she had gotten lucky. The teacher in charge didn't know her but she knew him. He was known for being pretty easy on the kids in detention, letting them talk and everything. This fact almost made up for having to be in detention in the first place. Yes, she was extremely lucky, until she scanned the room for an empty seat. There was only one left. She took it and tried hard not to disturb the person next to her.

"Hey it's not my fault you got detention. And it's not my fault that you're stuck sitting next to me again; it's pure coincidence," Caleb smirked knowing full well it was definitely not a coincidence.

Hanna simply gave him a quick look and rolled her eyes. She wanted to say something and accuse him of ratting her out to the secretary but she decided to ignore him. He had been in her closet and knew the likelihood of her wearing something skimpy was high because it was finally warm enough for the new dress she had bought and loved.

"Oh the silent treatment…really? Are you five years old?" Caleb smiled knowing she would break sooner or later. The playful teasing would get her to defend herself.

"Look, Hanna stop this," he began when she looked the other way.

"Hmpf…" Hanna mumbled as she turned back to glare at him. She wanted to hurt him as badly as he hurt her.

"Oh come on. Just let me talk," he pleaded with her but she continued to stare angrily causing him to regret what he had done.

"Fine. You can talk but I don't have to respond. And when you're done I get to ask you something and you have to tell the truth," Hanna bargained.

"Deal. Hanna I miss you and I still love you. Can you please just give me a chance to prove it to you…" he started and waited for some sort of reaction that Hanna's face might hint to but finding none, he continued, "I just…"

"No you're done talking. It's my turn now. Tell me what you know about me. What did you tell Jenna?" Hanna asked quickly. As much as she wanted answers she didn't really want to have to ask him. She wanted it all to go away.

"She wanted a key. She asked about you and the other girls and about your secrets but I told you after whatever was between us started I stopped telling her anything except lies to protect you and us…" he said and looked at Hanna hoping she would say something.

"What did you tell her? Did you tell her about the money? That we were sleeping together? That at one point there was a chance I was pregnant?" Hanna argued trying to keep her voice down.

"No. I didn't tell her any of that. That stuff was personal, between me and you. All she really wanted was some key," he said hoping her face would betray her and show some sign of knowing what he was talking about.

"What key? A key to my house? I gave you that," she said struggling to keep somewhat composed.

"No. She thought your friend that died had a key to something and gave it to you or one of the other girls. That's all she really wanted," he said as Hanna's attention wavered.

"Well I don't know what she's talking about. I don't have a key," Hanna said more to herself than anyone else.

"I'm serious Hanna, I miss you. Can you just give me another chance?" he pleaded but Hanna still managed to keep herself from responding in a way she would most likely regret.

"Miss Marin, you have an excused early leave," the teacher called looking for this student he didn't recognize the name of.

"You're lucky I don't have to answer that right now," she said gathering her things and leaving the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Yay another chapter. Enjoy it! Thank God I was wrong...even though he might be gone by July. (Does anyone know anything about this potential show?) Also, I was very happy with how Lucas reacted to Mona's bitchy-ness. It earned him points in my book and I will definitely be bringing Lucas into the story now as a friend to them both, maybe even some bromance. Anyway, I wasn't too fond of the finale. In case I haven't made it clear that Spencer is my least favorite, it really annoyed me that all the other girls were pretty much sitting around doing nothing while everything happened to her. The Emily might be moving thing was just unnecessary because that obviously isn't going to happen and Aria sure did act mature *insert eye roll here* about Jackie. With my rant done I just have one question: what part of the year is it? If someone could help me with some sort of time frame I would greatly appreciate it. So enjoy this chapter and hopefully Caleb will stick around in the show too because he's not leaving my story just yet.**

Hanna thanked God for her early release from detention. She didn't care what the reason was. She was just glad to be out of that awkward conversation. She knew she would have to answer it sooner or later but until then, she would have time to think about it. She still loved him, she probably always would but there was no trust for him left. She couldn't handle anyone she couldn't trust. They hadn't really been together anyway. She would have continued the mental rant on the pros and cons of Caleb but her train of thought was interrupted.

"Miss Marin, you're going to have to come with us," she heard as soon as she was down the hallway.

"I'm sorry officers but what have I done?" she asked while they led her to the police car outside the school building and took her to the station without answering her question.

"Oh Hanna! I'm glad you're here," Emily called as soon as she spotted her friend.

"What's going on?" Hanna countered ignoring Emily's panicked expression. She could only take in so much at a time.

"Apparently they've been following all of us. We don't know what's going on for sure but they want to question us about Ali and Spencer's friendship. They found evidence they can use against her in court. They won't say what it is but they basically want us to testify against her," Emily said hugging Hanna as she looked around the station confused.

"Well have you told them anything?" Hanna questioned while her world spun. She was so bewildered and everything was going far too fast for her to keep up. She felt detached from the world and so distant.

"Just that Spencer and Ali were friends and she wouldn't have killed Ali…Hanna are you ok?" Emily asked as Hanna zoned out staring at the wall.

"Uhm…yeah…I just need to sit down," Hanna said shaking out of it and searching for a chair to sit down in. She spotted a bench down the hall a bit and motioned for Emily to follow her.

"You good now?" Emily asked obviously concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Where's Aria?" Hanna asked once she felt a bit more normal.

"She's being questioned right now. She should be done soon then they'll probably call you back to talk," Emily said once she was assured that Hanna wasn't about to drop dead or anything.

"And my day keeps getting better," she sighed once the door swung open to reveal the police officer standing in the doorframe, releasing Aria and motioning her to follow.

"Miss Marin, would you please take a seat," the police officer said. Although it was framed as a polite question, it was far from polite or a question.

"I'm sorry officer. What is this about? I'm really not feeling well," Hanna said trying to stay polite and respectful to the officers who held her fate in their hands. They could decide what to do with her just by a slip of the lip.

"We'll try to keep this brief," the officer continued curtly, "We just have a few questions for you about your friends Spencer and Alison."

"Ok…ask away," Hanna said after waiting for the questions to be asked. From there, the officers tried to get her to say something they could use against Spencer but she knew what they were doing and answered them with useless comments. If they thought she would rat out her friend, they were sadly mistaken. With each answer they got more frustrated until finally they let Hanna leave, with neither party winning a clear victory.

Hanna walked past her friends and out to where her mom waited for her. She didn't want to do anything but go home and crawl into bed and maybe cry a little. She was so tired of everything. She just wanted her life to be easier again. She wanted to be able to call up Caleb and have him come running home to her. But she knew her life wasn't a cliché movie. It was a screwed up nightmare. There was no happily ever after waiting for her in the next few pages or even at the end of it all. She just wanted to be normal.

She went home and went straight to her room without a word to her mom. She wanted nothing more than to find Caleb in her room and crawl into his arms and sleep while he held her. She considered calling him and taking him back but she didn't want to get him stuck in this mess of her life when he was so close to being out of it. She typed up a text telling him exactly how she felt, constantly changing what she wanted to say, and hovered over the send button for what seemed like eternity. Finally she fell asleep with her phone in her hand and the message still written on the screen, never hitting send.

The next morning was when she realized the significance of the events the night before. It hadn't hit her until she got to the school and noticed that there was a police officer watching her. Now she was in some serious trouble all because Ali went and got herself killed. She was now a suspect in her best friend's murder. They had no reason to follow her or to even think she would have killed Alison. If anything, she owed Alison everything. Ali had been the one to help her become who she was now. Ali had known all her secrets and was always there for her. When she taught Hanna how to make herself feel better after her too many, too often binges, she had told Hanna that that's what friends were for. And when she had told Ali she felt bad because she didn't feel like their friendship was equal, Ali had told her it didn't matter because they were best friends and sometimes one best friend needs more help than the other. They were more than just best friends, they were like sisters. Alison had been the pretty, big sister always looking out for her less fortunate younger sister. Ali had protected her and she was now accused of murder. There was no Ali to protect her now.

Hanna was so furious that it took her some time to remember her locker combination. This wasn't right. She hadn't done anything wrong. They had no proof. As she spun the dial she thought about Caleb. How long had the cops been watching her? Did they know about Caleb? Were they watching him too? Was he in trouble like she was?

Once she finally opened her locker she noticed a pile of fabric had been shoved into her locker, and it wasn't something she recognized as hers. But then she saw the post-it stuck to the front and recognized not only the writing but the article of clothing as well. It was Caleb's favorite jacket. She wanted to shut her locker and pretend she never saw anything but she knew it wouldn't disappear from her locker by itself. She finally worked up the strength to pull the note from the jacket and bring it close enough to read.

"We wouldn't want you to get another dress code now would we? The Princess doesn't handle detention well. Cover up next time. And don't say there won't be a next time because we both know better than that. You can pretend I never meant anything to you all you want but you can't pretend I don't know you. –Caleb"

Hanna took the recently crumpled note and stuffed it in her purse. Accepting his jacket would be like accepting him back into her life and she wasn't ready to do that yet. But she was so cold and his jacket would feel so nice. It was so warm and it smelled so good. How would she pass up on something like that? As she was debating whether to put on the jacket or leave it in her locker, she caught the attention of the same secretary who had busted her the day before. Just as the woman began to make her way towards her, Hanna whipped out the jacket and put it on. Earning a satisfied look from the secretary, she resumed getting her books for class with the oversized jacket now a staple in the day's outfit.


	20. Chapter 20

**OK so here's another chapter but then I might take a little break from writing for awhile. I've kinda lost all inspiration…sad. Also thanks for the reviews, they let me know that you've has read the newest chapter and give me to go ahead to post the next one. Anyway enjoy this chapter and if you have some idea that might get me motivated please let me know!**

Caleb snuck around to the back of the Marin household and let himself in just like he had so many times before. There was no need to be afraid of her finding him. He had waited until he was sure she was leaving with Mona to do something not at her house. He had spent most of the day avoiding her and her friends because he was afraid if he said goodbye himself it wouldn't come out right and he would just hurt her more. Now, with his goodbye written out perfectly, he was ready to get to Arizona. All he had to do was leave the envelope for her and he could leave. Well technically he couldn't leave until seven but it was already four-thirty so it wouldn't be much longer.

"Caleb? Hanna isn't here right now. She's setting up for the festival. Did you need something?" he heard as he put the screwdriver that had found its way into his bag back into the toolbox under the sink. He jumped. At first he thought it was Hanna but then he realized who it really was and was suddenly tenser than he thought he would be in this situation.

"I accidently packed the screwdriver. I didn't want you to think I had stolen anything," Caleb said nervously knowing this woman was not his biggest fan.

"We wouldn't have even noticed it was gone," Mrs. Marin said just as nervously. She didn't know what the boy's intentions were or much about him at all.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Marin. Could you just give this to Hanna?" Caleb asked not knowing if the letter would actually get to the girl it was addressed to but he was ready to get out of the glare of the mother of the girl he had hurt so badly.

"Are you leaving for good?" Mrs. Marin asked, curiosity peaking as she took the envelope from him.

"I'm going to Arizona. Why do you care?" he asked. He hadn't meant for it to come out as rude as it did but he knew she didn't really care.

"I care because my daughter cares. I didn't want to see her get hurt," she said, taking a seat at the island and motioning for Caleb to do the same.

"I didn't mean to hurt her. I just…will you make sure she gets it?" he said slinging his bag onto his shoulder and getting ready to leave but pausing to wait for an answer.

"Hanna was destroyed when you left. I made a huge mistake by telling you to leave. I know it wasn't all my fault but whatever happened between you two can be fixed. You can even come back and stay in the guest room if you can work things out. I don't know what it was between you but I do know she still loves you. If you leave now without saying goodbye, I can't say that she still would. At least go give her the letter in person. You'll regret it if you don't," Mrs. Marin said putting the letter back in Caleb's hand and giving the boy she had once sworn was no good a reassuring look.

He took that look as a silent I'm on your side now and an acceptance of the fact that he loved her daughter. With that in mind, he ran to the festival to find Hanna. Mrs. Marin had been right; saying goodbye without actually saying it would ruin any chance of ever proving to Hanna he still loved her. Yeah he finally convinced himself he loved her. But pulling a stunt like that would make her hate him. He had listened when she ranted about her dad leaving without goodbye enough to know that doing so would make him a dead man in her book, in case he wasn't already.

He spotted her setting up a booth and began to walk her way but she saw her and before he knew it, she was gone. It the split second it took him to meet her eyes and blink, she disappeared. He knew she was hiding from him but he thought he'd give it a try anyway and approached the booth.

"What do you want?" Mona growled when he stopped in front of her.

"Hanna," Caleb said back with just as much venom. This girl hated him even before Hanna was heart-broken and dealing with her was not a part of his plan.

"Well she doesn't want you," Mona spat back refusing to give into his demand.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" Caleb asked getting sick of Mona's bitchy-ness.

"When you leave," Mona countered ready for him to give up and leave.

"Just make sure she gets this," Caleb said loudly hoping Hanna would hear him from wherever she was hiding. He didn't trust Mona but he wouldn't sit around waiting for Hanna to come out and talk to him.

"Whatever," Mona said to Caleb as he walked away.

Of course being who she was, she had to screen it before she would decide whether or not to give it to Hanna. She convinced herself that she was looking out for her best friend and it needed to be done, as she ripped open the envelope. A small silver heart locket fell into her hands along with a handwritten note from Sketchy himself.

"I know it isn't right to say goodbye like this but I don't know what else to do. You won't talk to me and if you're going to be this way there's no reason for me to stick around. I'm going to Arizona. My bus leaves at seven if you want to change your mind and let me say goodbye in person. I would say I'm sorry about everything that happened but sorry doesn't begin to cover it. I miss you and believe it or not, I really do love you Hanna. I always will. –Caleb"

"Is he gone?" Hanna said breaking her from the letter.

"Yeah but don't come out yet, he's still watching," Mona said as she slid the locket into her pocket before shredding the letter into the trash and pretending it never existed, "It's clear. You can come out now."

"What did he want?" Hanna asked coming out from behind the curtain and straightening her clothes.

"It doesn't matter. He's a jerk," Mona said pulling Hanna into a hug.

"I know…but it's still hard," Hanna said letting herself rest her head on Mona's shoulder.

"Aw Sweetie, it'll get better," Mona said giving Hanna a friendly peck on the cheek.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey so here's another chapter because I couldn't leave for a break like that. So here you go! It's really kinda short (more than 1,000 words but still it could be a bit longer) but it's going to get better I promise. I found inspiration for a chapter a bit further in so I have to get to that chapter before I break. Anyway, on with the story! I hope you enjoy it!**

Hanna wandered around the festival aimlessly. Mona had been called home for some family emergency hours ago and she couldn't find any of the girls anywhere. Finally she had found Spencer but she was too busy with her own drama. She hadn't bothered trying to find Aria because she was probably locked up in Mr. Fitz's apartment for the rest of the night. That just left her with Emily who once she had found muttered something about going home early and a fight with Paige and some Samara girl. Hanna had tried to comfort her but she wouldn't have it, so the two hurt girls did their own thing. Hanna gave up on finding anyone to take her mind off Caleb and realized she was alone for the night. She hated that. It was a Friday night and she was all alone wandering around the festival heartbroken.

She continued to walk around looking at the booths for awhile until she got bored. She thought about going home but she didn't feel like sitting home alone, especially because she would probably end up doing something she regret if she did. She bought herself a small sliver of cake at one of the booths, mainly because it was cute and supported a good cause; she sure as hell wasn't going to eat it. She was sitting alone at a table when he came up to her. She hadn't expected it but here he was, making the first move toward forgiveness.

"Can I sit down," he asked and her eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Uhm…yeah…sure," she stumbled motioning to the seat across from her, "I didn't think you would ever want to talk to me again."

"Yeah…I didn't think I would either," he said letting out a sigh.

"Not that I mind but you haven't talked to me in forever. What changed Lucas?" she asked genuinely curious as to why he would all so suddenly just start talking to her again.

"I know it wasn't all really you. Emily explained it to me. She said you didn't mean to do what you did. I've been meaning to talk to you for awhile but if Mona was around I wasn't going to. Plus it seems like you really need someone right now," Lucas said as if it was all obvious. Hanna didn't really care the reason, she was just glad he was back to talking to her.

"Thanks, I should've spent more time trying to apologize," she said weakly trying to smile.

"Hey it's all good now. That's all behind us. So get me caught up. Why are you sitting here alone on a Friday night?" he asked with a smile. He seemed to understand better now, they were just friends and that's all they would be and he should've realized that a long time ago.

"Well…it's a very long story," Hanna said playing with the slice of cake she had in front of her.

"I've got time," Lucas said happily.

"You sure you want to hear this? Its kinda girl drama," Hanna warned although she was happy to have someone outside the situation to vent to.

"I'm sure I can handle it. Just spare the unneeded details," he said happy to be lending an ear to a hurting friend, he had to keep reminding himself that's it. They had both learned from the past and as long as he remembers they would only be friends, they would be great friends again.

"Ok…" Hanna said launching into the shortened Hanna-approved version of her Caleb drama, leaving out the sex details and the details related specifically to A and Jenna, preferring instead to refer to the Jenna thing as 'something really bad that made me wonder if any of it was real' because Lucas didn't need to know everything.

"Wow…" Lucas began unsure of what to say. He knew he had to phrase this right or Hanna might think he wanted to be more than friends-granted that was true but he wouldn't sacrifice being friends with her over that.

"Hanna! Why haven't you answered your phone?" Aria exclaimed when she spotted Hanna at the table.

"What? My phone hasn't gone off," the blonde responded pulling her phone from her pocket to see the multiple missed calls and texts from Emily and Aria.

"Emily needs us," Aria said, trying not to reveal too much in front of Lucas.

"I'm really sorry about bailing like this but Emily really needs me again. Can we talk again later?" Hanna said careful not to hurt him again. She hated that she was basically doing exactly what she did the last time.

"Sure," he said reluctantly knowing he should have known better, that she hadn't changed.

"Hey, I promise we will do this again ok?" Hanna said trying to make him see that she meant it.

"Deal," he agreed as she ran off with Aria in a hurry.

"So what's wrong with Em?" Hanna asked having a suspicion it had something to do with Paige.

"She found the key…Caleb...?" Aria said stopping in her tracks.

"What about him?" Hanna grumbled trying to pull Aria along.

"Is he going somewhere?" Aria asked pointing to the bus line where about four people back, Caleb stood with a bag on his shoulder and a ticket in his hand.

"Uhm…I don't know…Arizona I guess," Hanna offered looking away from where Aria was pointing.

"You guess?" Aria questioned forcing Hanna to look at her.

"Well we aren't exactly talking right now," Hanna said making the mistake of looking at Caleb. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been scanning in his body trying to memorize every little detail when she realized he had seen her and was doing the same thing to her.

"Well I think you can break that to say goodbye," Aria said as Caleb met Hanna's eyes with a silent plea to forgive him before he left and hope that she would ask him to stay. Her eyes were begging him to do the same, to step out of line and put his bags down showing her that he would stay and to tell her he would never leave her again.

"If I say goodbye it means he's gone for good and everything is done. I don't know if I can do that just yet," Hanna said with her eyes still locked on his. Blinking was not an option. She had to soak in every second of their last look. She knew he was leaving and she was too damn stubborn to give in even to his emotional gaze that practically drew her to him and shut out the rest of the world.

"Well if you don't go say something, he will leave. Don't you want to take the risk and maybe he'll stay. Just go forgive him. He at least deserves a goodbye," Aria said looking between the two lovers stuck on each other with nothing else interrupting their staring standoff.

"I told you I can't. Let's go. Emily is waiting for us," Hanna said giving him one last sad smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before turning and pulling Emily. She knew this was for the best. If she had stood there looking into his eyes for one more instant she would've lost it and ran into his arms. She would've begged him to stay and made a fool of herself. This way he could get out of her life and the drama that came with it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Ok this chapter and the next two are pretty much going to be exactly like the finale but I'm adding in some details relevant to Hanna and Caleb and not going to spend so much time focusing on Spencer because that storyline isn't relevant to my story (but it will be included). Also this chapter is a little short but it was either end it where I did or write one super ridiculously long chapter that could be divided into three smaller ones. To make up for that, I'm posting at least the first two in the next few hours. So enjoy and let me know if I got anything wrong ASAP, I'm a bit confused by the jumps they made and the connections they got from the videos in the finale. Please don't be a bitch if I screwed it up, just inform me nicely.**

Hanna couldn't sleep that night. Between finding the videos and the heart wrenching last look with Caleb, she had way too much on her mind. But she wasn't the only sleep deprived person there. Aria was insanely worried about something on her phone, Spencer was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and Emily was still stressed about whatever fight she had.

But just because they couldn't sleep didn't mean they had a girl night and stayed up until all hours of the morning talking their problems out. No. They were all keeping to themselves to the point that it was almost stupid of them to be together. But it was just almost stupid; they were only together because they were terrified of A. They claimed that they were having one of their weekly sleepovers to think about who A was and to come up with some sort of plan. But they all knew they were just there so they wouldn't go wallow in self-pity at home, alone, with A stalking them. They could plan something in the morning, when they weren't so preoccupied.

They woke up the next morning tired, cranky, and sore. But began their A hunting none the less. If they didn't do something sooner or later, this lack of sleep would become permanent. In Hanna's case it was on the verge of being a constant part of her life and she was sure it was affecting the other girls too. They woke up and started coffee before popping the flash drive back into Spencer's computer for more analysis. Hanna zoned out thinking about Caleb and where he might be while the girls discussed what the videos meant.

"So what do we want to do about it?" Aria asked, "We have to go to school in a few hours."

"I'll meet you at school. I'll get a disposable phone and we can text him from there. But we have to talk to Jenna first. How about we confront her during free period and text Ian the details," Spencer explained as the girls got ready to leave.

"So we meet up at school?" Hanna asked realizing it probably would've been important to pay attention. She got no answer and assumed she had heard most of the plan correctly. Everyone was going home to get ready for school so she left as well. But she didn't know if she would be going to school. She felt like going home and trying to sleep.

"Hanna, hun. I was so worried," her mom greeted as soon as she walked through the door.

"I thought you got my text," Hanna said trying to get past her mom and go up to her room.

"I did but you made it seem like you would be home. Is Caleb with you?" her mom asked when she realized he wasn't following Hanna inside.

"No. He left. By now he's probably out of the state," Hanna said with a sigh, reluctantly admitting that he was gone.

"Well did you at least say goodbye? You know he came by here," her mom continued forcing Hanna to sit and explain.

"No," Hanna said avoiding her mom's eyes.

"He at least went to the festival didn't he?" her mom asked, hoping she hadn't changed her opion of Caleb just for him to hurt Hanna again.

"Yeah. He found me, looked at me, and got on the bus to Bastardville. He didn't wanna talk to me," Hanna sighed ready to get up to her room and crawl in bed for the day.

"Oh yes he did. He had a letter and everything. You didn't get the letter did you…?" Mrs. Marin continued when she saw the shocked look on her daughter's face.

"Can I just go upstairs now?" Hanna said changing the topic and trying to escape.

"No. You have school and I will not let you wallow over this. Go put on something cute and go to school. And know that I'm doing this because I love you. The more time you spend feel pathetic over this, the harder it will be to move on," her mom said giving her a light hug and sending her on her way.

Her day from there was just going through the motions. Nothing meant anything to her and she could barely hear anyone saying anything. Finally it was time for them to confront Jenna and she was ready to get revenge. She had so many questions that Caleb wouldn't answer.

"You ready for this?" Emily asked as they made their way to the music room.

"As I'll ever be," Hanna said taking a deep breath before opening the door and walking into the room where Jenna stood alone.

"Who's there?" Jenna asked when she heard movement.

"Spencer," she answered sharply.

"Who else?" Jenna asked unimpressed.

"Aria, Emily, and Hanna," Spencer said waiting for some sort of reaction.

"Should I call security?" Jenna scoffed at the mention of Hanna's name.

"We have what you hired Caleb to find," Spencer said standing her ground.

"You didn't think it was wrong but Toby did," Emily said joining the confrontation.

"So…you've seen it?" Jenna choked out nervously.

"Every frame," Spencer mocked, hoping to rile Jenna.

"What do you want from me?" Jenna asked strruggling to stay in control and not show weakness.

"The truth. Can you handle that?" Hanna said, speaking up for the first time since they entered the room.

"Alison stopped by to see me in the hospital. She had found Ian's videos and she couldn't wait to play them for me," Jenna said beginning her flashback to the day Alison had visited her, "Look I told you the truth. What do I get from this? More torture like I did from Alison?"

"We'll make sure it stays in a safe place," Spencer said as she let Jenna walk pass on her way out.

"Remember we've all made mistakes, I'm still paying for yours. And I always will," Jenna said pausing at the door before leaving the room.


	23. Chapter 23

**Here's part two of the three part finale based chapter. Again it's a little shorter than usual but it was stop here or one super ridiculously long chapter. Sorry about the delay but of course as soon as I posted the first part, my power went out. Same as usual author's note…blah blah blah…enjoy!**

"Ok I know why Spencer is nervous and I think I know what's got Aria so upset, but what's up with you?" Hanna asked as she and Emily walked to lunch.

"My mom said something to me this morning and I don't know how to feel about it," Emily said vaguely explaining her situation.

"Well what did she say?" Hanna asked her curiosity peaked.

"She wants us to move to Texas to be with my dad," Emily said. Hanna tried to figure out some sort of feeling towards this but Emily stayed emotionless.

"But you can't move," Hanna began ready to argue her point.

"It's not a set thing yet so I really don't wanna talk about it in front of the other girls ok," Emily interrupted as they neared their friends sitting at a table.

"Ok," Hanna said taking a spot at the table where Spencer and Aria were waiting.

"Ok I got it," Spencer said as she pulled the bag containing the phone out of her purse.

"And you're sure he won't be able to tell its us?" Aria questioned making sure their plan wouldn't backfire.

"If you pay with cash these phones are practically untraceable. The government wants to ban them because of the threat they could be to security," Spencer assured them as she turned the phone on.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Hanna asked looking at her with no reassurance from anything Spencer had just said.

"Don't you watch CNN?" Spencer said then looked at Hanna's face and realized the question didn't need an answer. She typed a quick message and sent it to Ian informing him that they had the videos.

"Do you think he'll actually buy it?" Hanna asked as they watched Ian's reaction for verification that he received the text.

"Looks like he did," Spencer said showing Hanna the text. Hanna took the phone and sent off a reply.

"Is this the 'we love Hanna Marin' support group?" Mona said as she took a spot beside her friend.

"Actually I have to go," Spencer said as she jumped up to follow Ian.

"And then there were two," Mona said as Emily and Aria ran after Spencer.

"Sorry, Spencer's really jumpy lately. My mom said something interesting this morning. Did Caleb give you a letter to give to me," Hanna asked playing with her phone and hoping Caleb would text her.

"Even if he did, saying goodbye in a letter is pathetic Han. You're better than him," she said with a small smile.

"You know Spencer probably needs me. I should go," Hanna said giving Mona a quick hug before leaving the cafeteria in search of her friends.

"And then there was one," Mona said to herself as Hanna's phone began to buzz on the table, "Oh Caleb. I'm really glad you called. I was just about to call you and warn you. Hanna is over you. She deleted your number and everything. She even got back with Sean. I thought you would want to know. You did the right thing by leaving."

"You really are a bitch aren't you? You don't know how to be a good friend. Hanna is nowhere near being over Caleb," Lucas raged as he snatched the phone from Mona.

"Here's the deal. You don't tell Hanna and I'll be your fairy godmother. It really was the best for Hanna that he left. I can turn you from Her-amie***** to Her-man," Mona said as she pawed at Lucas's chest.

"Like I would actually trust you. Hanna is supposed to be your best friend and you're screwing her over. What's to keep you from messing with me?" Lucas asked storming off to return the phone to Hanna.

"So we all understand the plan right?" Spencer asked as they went over the plan one last time before going home.

"Yeah we got it. And make sure you don't tell anyone ok," Aria warned as they parted ways.

"Hey Emily wait up!" Lucas called as Emily started to her car.

"Oh hey Lucas what's up?" she smiled turning to face him.

"Hanna left this at lunch. Could you give it to her for me?" he said pulling her phone out of his pocket.

"Actually I'm on my way to meet her right now. Why don't you come with me," Emily asked, glad that he had been able to forgive Hanna and that they could be friends again.

"I can't. I've gotta go meet someone just tell her I said hey ok?" Lucas said in a hurry.

"Yeah of course. I'm sure she'll be grateful," Emily said letting Lucas run off to his own car while she drove home.

"Hey," a teary-eyed Hanna greeted from Emily's porch.

"Hey," Emily replied taking a seat beside her friend.

"She's up there packing," Hanna said pulling Emily to a hug.

"If only we could pack her up," Emily said with a small laugh.

"You know my guest room is open now. At least you won't have to hide from my mom," Hanna laughed back.

"I know. You know you're different from the other girls, right? Not like I like you or anything but you're like my big sister. You're always looking out for me," Emily said sadly. Hanna knew that her relationship with Emily was special. She would've done anything to protect Emily from anything. She thought of herself as the person Emily could go to with her problems and count on to be there for her. Emily, although just as old as she was, was younger than her emotionally. She was the baby of their group. Hanna wanted to keep her from getting hurt like she had so many times before. As much as she hated to admit it, sometime it was like maternal instinct to protect her from everything, it was like she was the cool understanding mom Emily didn't have.

"Where are you even going?" Hanna asked pulling Emily closer to show her answer to the question.

"Texas," Emily answered with no further comment to display her emotions.

"Just don't come back with big hair and pageant queen-ed up," Hanna smiled deciding at that moment that she wouldn't let Emily move.

"That's not my type," Emily said leaning into Hanna.

"We should go meet the girls soon," Hanna said stroking her hair through Emily's hair.

"Yeah," Emily said just to show she heard what Hanna said.

"Come on lets go. And by the way. You're not moving. Even if I have to kidnap you," Hanna said pulling Emily to her feet and to the car.

***For those of you who didn't get my Her-amie to Her-man joke, "ami" is French for friend and when an "e" is added the friend becomes female…I thought I was being clever…maybe not…**


	24. Chapter 24

**Ok here's the last part of the finale based chapter trilogy. Hopefully it's true enough to the show. After this it will probably go totally off because I'm not waiting until June to continue. I've found out some of the stuff from next season and I will use that information to help me come up with ideas. Also, I've found out some stuff about Tyler's pilot, it's in an end author's note for those who care, it doesn't relate much to Pretty Little Liars. And I've found my inspiration to keep writing! Yay!**

"Where's Spencer?" Hanna asked as they pulled up at Aria's house.

"She texted me to say she'll meet us there. Something came up at home," Aria said hopping in Emily's car to go to the woods where they were supposed to catch Ian.

"Ok well is Ian still gonna be there tonight?" Emily asked as she pulled away from Aria's house.

"I don't see why not," Aria said as they speed off to sit in the woods and wait.

"I still don't understand why you're doing this," Caleb said turning to face the random boy driving him back to Rosewood.

"Because Hanna deserves to happy and you make her happy," Lucas said looking over and the bad boy Hanna loved and wondering why.

"So you, a guy I've never meet, decided to call me and tell me to get off the bus because you were coming to get me?" Caleb questioned feeling an ulterior motive somewhere behind his seemingly perfect gentleman-ly gesture.

"Exactly because Hanna loves you and she's always going to love you. As hard as it is for me to face, I'm only ever going to be her friend so I'm being her friend and bringing back the guy she loves because she's too God damn stubborn to do it herself," Lucas exclaimed trying to stay in control because if he lost control now, they would crash and his journey would be in vain.

"Well aren't you just the perfect Knight in Shining Armor but you obviously never watched the Disney movies or read the fairytales when you were younger. You didn't learn the wonderful lessons they teach. Well here's the thing. The Princess always goes with the Prince Charming or the Knight in Shining Armor. So she'll end up with this Sean guy or you. The Princess doesn't fall for the servant boy living in the dungeons and if she does, it never lasts. She realizes that she's a princess and can do so much better. You're wasting your time," Caleb explained looking back at the trees as they passed.

"If you really believed that, you wouldn't have gotten off the bus," Lucas countered. Caleb realized he had a point and the remainder of the ride was pure silence. But Lucas knew this was a fairytale, ending with Hanna and Caleb living happily ever after while he stood off to the side watching oh so happily. No, he reminded himself, they were just friends and he didn't get to feel like this.

"Are you sure Spencer's on her way? It's getting late. And this is kinda creepy," Hanna said as she laid across the picnic table.

"I know. But she's not picking up her phone. I've tried her like ten times already Han. Chill," Aria said as she dialed Spencer's number and left yet another voicemail for their MIA friend.

"Maybe we should go. It's getting creepy plus what if Ian shows up with a gun or something?" Hanna said worried, missing the protection she felt with her bad boy hiding in the basement. If he hadn't left for Arizona, he would probably be getting worried by now and tracked her by her phone or something crazy like that. She would never admit it but she really missed him still.

"Hanna is right. I'm calling Garret. If Ian decided to kill us, he could do it easily and this isn't the most out in the open for people to see spot," Emily said as she realized their plan had some serious flaws. She called Garret, who said he would be there quickly, and in the mean time, the girls waited in the car, with the doors locked.

"There's Ian!" Aria called as a car pulled up half an hour later.

"No that's just Garret. Come on," Emily said as she got out of the car to greet their protector.

"No one else knows you're here right?" Garret said as he looked around.

"I left a note for my mom but no one else knows," Hanna added quickly.

"Ok well I'm going to look around and go a bit further towards the entrance. You girls stay here and stay out of sight," Garret said as he took his car closer to the road.

"Did you really leave a note for your mom?" Aria asked once the cop was gone.

"Yeah totally. Hi Mommy, I went to catch Ali's killer in the middle of nowhere. Yeah right. I don't know, something just feels off," Hanna said rolling her eyes.

"Guys, there's another car," Emily said pulling them behind the bushes and letting Garret stand guard.

"That's not Ian's car," Hanna whispered as a dark figure jumped out of the car.

"That's not Ian," Aria agreed as Garret forced the figure against the car and began handcuffing him.

"Whoa. I don't know what you're talking about. My name's Logan Reed. Some guy gave me this and paid me to do some trade off or something. Seriously I have no idea what's going on," the guy said as he struggled with Garret.

"Ok stay right here," Garret said to the Logan guy before walking over to the girls.

"So what's going to happen now?" Emily asked once Garret came closer.

"Girls, it seems Ian isn't coming tonight. You go home and get some sleep I'll deal with this Logan person," Garret said leading the girls to their car.

"Thanks Garret," Emily said giving him a quick hug and hoping in the driver's seat.

They were about half-way home when they got a call from Spencer. All they heard was fighting and struggling. They didn't know what to expect but they knew they had to hurry to the church. Hanna whipped out her phone and dialed 911 while they continued to listen to the struggle between Spencer and Ian, who was acting weird and somewhat confessing to murdering Alison. Emily speed to the church as the fighting continued. The second they were there, she shut off the car and they ran in after Spencer.

"Spence!" they called out as they ran the twisting staircase to the top, "Spencer! Where are you! Are you ok?"

"I…he…" Spencer began as she stared at Ian's motionless body tangled in the bell ropes, "He's dead."

They walked down together and waited for the police. Their nightmare was over. Ian was dead. He couldn't bother them anymore. They stood in silence waiting for the assurance that never came.

"Girls could you please come with me," an officer said as he led the girls back inside, "As you can see, there's no body here. What really happened?"

The girls stared on in shock. Where moments ago Ian body had hung was nothing but air. There was no evidence that anyone had even been there. They were gapping at a loss for words when they all got a new text. Their nightmare was nowhere near over.

"It's not over until I say it is, so sleep tight while you can bitches. –A"

**So about Tyler Blackburn, the show is called A Brave New World and he is a (or the) main character. The premise of the show is a group of cast members at a colonial re-enactment town, dealing with daily work, weird situations, and annoying tourists. I've done my research and found out his character plays a Native American so lots of shirtless Tyler. Also, since he is a main character, Pretty Little Liars will likely lose him in July as it's been picked up by NBC, whether or not that lasts is up to the audience. My personal take: whether or not it lasts really depends on what else is on at the same time. I might watch it just because it sounds like something my roomie would love.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Here's yet another chapter. I'm not waiting until June to write again, so here's where the story becomes all my own (with a bit from the spoilers I found…not so much spoilers as admitting the obvious). Also I would like to thank everyone who reviews so quickly, your reviews make me bring up a new word document and start typing every time I see them. So thank you thank you thank you. Anyway, hopefully this chapter is more of a happy chapter…or at least can start us back towards the happy ending.**

"I'm going home. I'm sorry. I can't just sit around here. We can get together tomorrow," Hanna said looking up from her phone in panic mode.

"I'll drive you home," Emily said as she and Hanna walked to tell their moms what they were doing. After offering Aria a ride too but being rejected, the two walked towards Emily's car and rode home in silence. But it was comforting. They didn't need to talk through everything that had just happened. They just needed some time together then some time alone. It was how they worked.

"Thanks Em," Hanna said as Emily pulled into Hanna's driveway.

"Anytime," Emily smiled while Hanna ran to the door and fumbled with her keys. Once she swung the door open she waved Emily on and stepped inside.

"Hanna?" she heard when she put her purse down on the stairs.

"Lucas? What are you doing here?" she asked backing up out of habit.

"Calm down. Your mom knows I'm here. I've been waiting for awhile to surprise you. And then when I heard about what happened at the church I thought you might need a friend so I kept waiting," Lucas said as Hanna stepped down from panic mode but still wasn't too welcoming.

"Ok…that's sweet but I kina want to be alone. Emily said you found my phone, thanks for that too. But if you don't mind, can I just be alone?" Hanna asked letting herself ease down from all the hype that she had just been through.

"Oh well maybe I didn't do the right thing then," Lucas said to himself as he debated whether or not to tell her.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked curiously. Sure, she might be tired and just want to go up to her room but that doesn't mean she's going to miss out on anything important.

"Why don't you see for yourself? I'm gonna go now. But before you go to bed, check the guest room," Lucas said with a smile before walking out the front door, leaving a confused Hanna to stand alone in the foyer. What on Earth did he mean by check the guest room? All she knew was that if she didn't go check the guest room right then, it would drive her insane all night.

So she found herself bounding up the steps and letting her curiosity take control. She honestly had no idea what Lucas had been talking about. Within seconds she was standing outside the guest bedroom door pondering what may be inside. She gently turned the golden knob and pushed the door open.

"Hanna," a voice said jumping from the bed.

"Caleb…" she responded unsure of what to do. He took a step towards her and she took a step back.

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry," Caleb said as he tried to grab her arm to pull her to him.

"Don't touch me," she spat pulling away.

"What…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left. But I still love you. I made a mistake by leaving," he said as continued his effort of pulling her to him in vain.

"That wasn't your only mistake," she scoffed and took a step towards him.

"I don't know what to do here. Tell me what you want from me," Caleb said throwing his arms out in a wild gesture that displayed his aggravation.

"You broke my trust. Then you left without even telling me. I probably wouldn't have even known if I didn't see you board the bus. I don't know what you expected from coming back," Hanna argued taking another step closer to him. She didn't know what she would do when she was in his arms. She would either wrap up in his warmth and cry uncontrollably or attack him viciously getting all her anger towards him out of her system.

"I don't know what I expected from coming back. But I knew I didn't do the right thing and I wanted to fix that," Caleb said letting her take the steps toward him, afraid that one unwanted motion would send her running to her bedroom and locking the door behind her. Not that a lock could stop him if he really wanted to get in, but he couldn't risk breaking into her room. It would only cause more problems for them.

"You wanted to fix things. What exactly do you think can be fixed?" Hanna exclaimed. She knew everything was shattered beyond repair and it would take a whole lot more than a cliché movie reunion before they would be jumping into each other's arms again.

"I don't know. But I thought I would give it a try. I couldn't just leave for Arizona when everyone kept telling me I belonged here with you. Hell even your mom said she wanted me to stay for you. Its kinda hard to leave a girl without saying goodbye especially when everyone has to keep reminding me of how much you love me," Caleb growled. This was not going how he had hoped it would. It was going exactly how he knew it would though.

"Ha! You think I still love you after all you've done!" Hanna said taking her last step toward him. They were merely inches apart. Now she had to pick her next action carefully.

"I didn't expect you would," Caleb said picking up the bags he hadn't bothered unpacking.

"Caleb Rivers…you…ugh…how could you! I loved you! You broke my heart…but I still loved you for some stupid…stupid reason. Then you left…you just left me. I…I…I hate you!" Hanna yelled pounding her fists against his chest with each broken phrase. Her small balled up hands beat against him over and over until she was shaking with tears. He stood there and let her hit him because her actions meant nothing; it didn't really hurt as bad as the words that flew out of her mouth. But he lost it when she started crying.

"Hanna. Please stop," he said pulling her into his chest to comfort her.

"No," she cried but relaxed in Caleb's arms as she continued to sob.

"Hanna. Look at me. I still love you," Caleb said once she had calmed down enough to think clearly.

"Well. I don't still love you. Not now. I can't. You can stay here and we can work on it. But we are not picking up where we left off," Hanna said as she spun to face him.

"Just promise me that you'll give me a chance," Caleb said as she pulled away from his chest.

"I can't make that promise," Hanna said as she stormed off to her room to continue her crying.

Caleb followed her and stood outside her door debating whether or not to go in. Finally he decided to sit and listen until she fell asleep. Once her cries stopped, he went back to the guest room to unpack.

Hanna sat on her bed and stared at the mirror. She had stopped sobbing but tears were still running down her face. After everything that had happened that night, people were going to talk. It was only a matter of time before she became labeled a liar, a psychopath, mentally unstable. People would find out Caleb was living with her and rumors would spread. Whether A showed them or they made it up, odds were her actions with him would be publicized. It was clear to her that her position of Queen of Rosewood was slipping. But if she wasn't Head Bitch anymore, who was she anymore? She didn't know the answer to that question. Looking in the mirror, she saw Hefty Hanna making her return. She didn't want to go back to that. She had been vulnerable and pathetic. She couldn't go back to that.

"Good night Hanna. Thank you. –C"

At least she had Caleb and the girls. Well, maybe she didn't really have Caleb but they could work towards it. She was only trying to protect them both from the rumors that would spread (and keep her heart from getting crushed again). But he wouldn't care about the rumors. He would walk with her through the halls and ignore any whispers on the sides. He was like that. He didn't give a damn and if there was one thing Hanna wanted him to teach her it was how to not care what people thought.

"Just because you let him out of the dungeons doesn't mean you're any safer. But he can't protect you from gossip. Sleep tight in the castle tonight because tomorrow you lose your crown. –A"


	26. Chapter 26

**Ok here's another chapter. I expected it to be happier but then I got to the end of it and realized it wasn't that much happier than the previous chapters. Oh well. We'll get there sooner or later. So enjoy this chapter and let me know what you want more of.**

Hanna woke up the next morning to multiple missed calls and unanswered texts with mascara trails down her face and a crick in her neck that was driving her insane. Her bed head was awful. She was still in her clothes from the day before. Her throat was dry and scratchy. And her eyes were red. She looked and felt like shit, and that's putting it nicely.

If it had been up to her, she probably wouldn't have gotten out of bed that morning. But unfortunately, it was up to her mom. And her mom was too busy so she sent the messenger. So on this morning of all mornings, she sat up and saw Caleb standing in her doorframe.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," he smirked after throwing a pillow at her in a not so nice way of waking her up.

"Go to hell," she mumbled as she threw the pillow back and curled into bed.

"Don't be that way. We have school today," Caleb groaned as he took a step into her room.

"Nope. Out," Hanna said as she heard him moving closer inside her room.

"Or what? You'll banish me back to the dungeons? Your Princess power is gone. Your mom is in control now. And she sent me to wake you up," he said edging closer to her bed and taking a seat at the end.

"I don't think that gave you permission to come into my room or sit on my bed," she argued pulling the covers back over her head and struggling in a vicious tug of war over the covers.

"Winning," Caleb said once she gave in to the battle for the blankets. Then he picked her out of bed bridal style and carefully put her down, or not so carefully in Hanna's mind.

"Bite me," Hanna grumbled as she pushed Caleb out of her room so she could get dressed and not look like crap. She really dreaded going downstairs. She was so tempted to crawl back in bed and sleep the day away but she didn't want another Caleb wake up call. When she finally deemed herself presentable enough to leave her room (not that it mattered, Caleb had already seen her), she put on her nice mask and started the long walk downstairs.

As soon as she opened the door, she smelt bacon and eggs. Great, Caleb was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. There was no way around him and her purse was sitting on the island counter. She would have to face him. But she didn't expect to face her mother as well.

"Good morning Hanna," Mrs. Marin called from the breakfast table.

"Morning Mom," Hanna said as she poured herself some coffee.

"Now that both of you are here, I want to go over the rules. Caleb, as long as you are living in my house you will be considered my son. You have the same rules as Hanna as far as curfew and such, you can talk to her about that later, and you are expected to follow those rules. You are also expected to treat me with respect and listen to me when I tell you to do something. Seeing as you have some sort of weird relationship, I'm not going to pry but there are new rules for both of you. You are not allowed in a bedroom together at any time, especially when I'm not home. Although you are allowed to be home alone together, you are encouraged not to be. If I catch you in a compromising position, Caleb you will be kicked out and Hanna you will be grounded indefinitely. If I catch you breaking these rules, there will be consequences leading up to kicking you out because I'm not going to kick you out over little things. Now I have to go to work. If you have questions or want to challenge any of these rules you can do so at dinner," Mrs. Marin said as she took her coffee to go and walked out the door.

"I thought your mom worked in a bank not a legal office," Caleb said amused by Mrs. Marin's sudden lawyer-esque speech.

"She likes to make sure I don't find any loop holes in the rules," Hanna said, eyes glued to the floor.

"Ok well then Princess, you gonna drive me to school or do I have to walk?" he asked sensing the coldness in Hanna's attitude.

"I'll drive you if you promise to stop calling me Princess and any other stupid nicknames," she said grabbing her purse ad motioning for him to come on. She just wanted to get through the day with as little frustration as possible, while keeping her dignity intact.

When she got to school she was ready to ditch Caleb. She knew she couldn't be seen with him yet and after A's text from the night before it would probably be best if he stayed far away from her. But no, that wasn't his plan. His plan was to grab her by the arm and pull her aside to where no one would see them.

"Can we just put everything behind us? You know forgive and forget? Act like nothing changed," Caleb said quietly. He had spotted a couple of his female clients standing by the wall gossiping. He still needed their money but without Hanna as reassurance, they would never trust him. He looked and acted the part of bad boy, so naturally as turned on as they were they were still scared of him.

"Right. Act like nothing changed," Hanna said rolling her eyes and trying to push past him.

"Well will you ever be able to forget this mess and move on?" Caleb asked. The question had been burning on his mind since he got in Lucas's car. He hadn't been expecting some grand nothing else matters now that you're back moment but he had expected something.

"No, not now," Hanna groaned as Sean walked up towards them.

"Hey Hanna Banana. I got your text. Is he bothering you," Sean said lightly pulling her into him and away from Caleb.

"No we were just doing business," Caleb said with a scowl as he realized what was going on. He wasn't wanted there so he did what came naturally to him, he disappeared. He saw this coming. The Prince comes to saves the Princess from the dark villain and they live happily ever after. Like he should care.

"You wanted to talk…about us again?" Sean continued once Caleb was gone.

"But what about you and Paige?" Hanna questioned, for Emily she convinced herself she was asking for Emily's sake.

"She wasn't that into me as anything more than friends. Besides I wasn't really over you. Come on. We've both made mistakes but together we own Rosewood. Plus prom is coming up soon," Sean continued, lacing his fingers with hers and leading her into the school.

"Wait what?" Hanna asked, not pulling away but shocked by his actions.

"I'm sorry. Is this too much, too fast? I thought you wanted to pick up where we left off," he said with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Hold on a second," she muttered as she pulled out her buzzing phone.

"Take him back or the crown falls. And we both know you're nothing without the crown. –A"

"You ok? Should I just go?" Sean asked looking at her with concern written all over his face.

"No no…I just…wasn't expecting it that's all," she said stepping up on her toes to give him a small peck. She knew it would be bad to use him but he was just using her too. It was mutual. This way, she could still be Queen of Rosewood and not resort back to Hefty Hanna.


	27. Chapter 27

**And here is yet another chapter, its short but hey it's an update. Working towards happily ever after…and starting to get somewhere. Enjoy it!**

Hanna sat beside Sean in silence through lunch. He had his arm draped around her shoulders and they were carrying on as if they had never broken up. It was just like it had always been before. She was just the arm candy for him to look at and occasionally touch carefully. But there were no sparks when he touched her, no full on passion, no burning desire, no needs to be filled like there was when Caleb touched her. Now that she had felt what it really was to be in love, being with Sean was almost unbearable.

Especially when she looked up and saw Caleb staring at her. That one sad look from him was almost enough for her to jump from Sean's arms as if they were burning her. But when he saw he had been caught he changed his expression to a cold death glare. That nearly broke her heart. She would have ran to him that moment, except Sean noticed Caleb and pulled her close to his chest in a protective way sending back a cool glare of his own. She hated this so much.

But what made it even worse is that Sean was in need of a date for a party that night. She would have to go even though she still felt like crawling into bed and sleeping through the day. So she wasn't surprised when she found a note inside her locker at the end of the day. She knew it was a matter of time before A asked something else of her.

"Go have fun at the party tonight. You deserve it. You've been such a good little puppet. I'll even give you money for a hot new dress. Bloomies is waiting. –A"

She took the letter and the money, stuffed them both in her purse, and then stormed towards her car. She could call the girls and apologize later. Right now she was in desperate need of retail therapy and had cash to blow. She could barely wait another moment. Luckily for her she found another note waiting on her car.

"I walked back to your house. Don't worry I'll be out tonight. –Caleb"

Perfect. She had pissed him off. She could tell by his messy handwriting that he had been pressing hard against the paper with all the frustration he had. Just great…at least he wouldn't be home…her home that was now his too. She was sick of this. She tore the note off her car and drove home, fuming mad the entire way. She was lucky she didn't crash.

When she got home she heard the shower running and assumed it was safe to go up to her room without running into Caleb. But passing his room, she heard a buzzing noise that must have been coming from his phone. She looked towards the bathroom door and made sure the shower was still running before stepping into his room to inspect. Sure it was betraying his trust (if there was any left) and ignoring all respectful privacy rules, but he was living in her house…that gave her the right to invade his privacy once in awhile…right?

"Hey. I got your call. I'll be there, can't wait to see you! I missed you. 3 G"

She dropped the phone back on the bedside table. She would've inspected more but she heard the water turn off and didn't want to get caught snooping, especially by a soaking wet Caleb just out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel…the mental image was driving her insane. Opting not to live through the day dream she had just had, she sprinted towards her room and shut the door behind her.

She would not let Caleb know she had seen that text. She couldn't make him change his plans after she had been such a bitch to him. She would have to let him do whatever he wanted. She wasn't his girlfriend or wife or fiancé or anything. She didn't have the right to be jealous over a stupid heart signed text. Besides this G was probably Grace and he swore to her that there had been nothing between them. As much as she tried to talk herself out of it, she could feel the jealousy rising in her throat to the point she needed to scream and punch something.

Regardless of how she felt about the text, she changed her train of thought to a more positive track: showing off tonight and making Caleb feel this awful feeling known as jealousy. She grabbed a sparkly clutch and the highest heels she could find along with any jewelry she thought would make her look super hot. She laid it all out on her bed and continued to do mindless things in her room until she heard Caleb move from the bathroom to his bedroom, which took a surprisingly long time for a guy. Once she heard his lock click, she made her move and ran for the front door, only pausing for a split second to grab her purse and keys (which nearly caused her to be seen by Caleb).

After spending nearly two hours searching for the perfect dress, she finally found it. It showed the perfect amount of cleavage without looking too much like a whore and it was short enough for a party while still being long enough to be considered a dress instead of a shirt. Satisfied with herself, she was beginning to feel good until she walked towards the food court and saw him. She had forgotten all about the text and pushed their fight into the back of her mind to be dealt with later. But here he was, with some girl at a table in the middle of the mall. They were on a date. He had never taken her out on a date. He was pretty much against dating but here he was hugging on some blonde airhead bimbo. Ugh.

She went to the other end of the food court and ordered a large latte. Of course she dropped it the second she saw the message scrawled across the clear plastic cup. At least she wouldn't have to purge the calories, although after seeing Caleb all over this…this…chick throwing up wouldn't be so hard.

"Staying skinny isn't easy. And if you don't…well you saw her. She's perfect. –A"


	28. Chapter 28

**Ok here's a chapter and I'll put the next one up this afternoon as an apology for taking so long. Also, apparently it's only been like EIGHT weeks since they found Alison's body and it's supposed to be like Thanksgiving now…well obviously I missed that memo. So yeah…I was way off but the show gave me nothing to work with and I had my reasons. Sorry about that. I'm reworking the time frame a bit so it'll be closer to the show; but not exact because squeezing all that has happened into a measly eight weeks is super un-realistic…not that any of it is really all that realistic but really…come on. For all purposes of my story let's say that: **

**-Caleb showed up in Rosewood in mid-September,**

**-Caleb moved in with them in late September,**

**-they got close in mid-October,**

**-they got in the fight that broke them up early in November,**

**-Caleb left (but came back) like the second week of December…**

**-which puts us here…like two weeks before finals.**

Hanna was careful to avoid the couple. The thought of Caleb in a relationship alone make her sick but seeing it was making her head hurt…and maybe her heart too. Even assigning the term couple to Caleb and anyone associated with him seemed so foreign. She couldn't process what she had seen, it was too much. So she did what she always did when she saw something she didn't want to see. She pretended she hadn't seen it. She knew this policy would sooner or later have to change but for now, pretending that she hadn't witnessed a cruel act against Caleb's very nature was the way to go.

So with the thought that Caleb was on a date dancing around the back of her mind taunting her, she went home and got dressed for the party. Making sure to look extra super hot just in case Caleb came home-scratch that, she was looking extra super hot for her first date back with Sean, not the nobody in the guest bedroom. While waiting for Sean, she decided that it was important to leave a note for Caleb telling him exactly where she was and who she was with so that if he was looking for her he would know where to look or so that he might find it and feel that stinging jealous feeling. Because maybe, just maybe she was jealous. But she wouldn't admit it. Especially not since she was supposed to be over him. She was supposed to hate him for hurting her so badly but for some reason she couldn't hate him. Even if he was on a date with some blonde whore. So she scribbled down a rather in-your-face note that screamed I'm going on a hot date and signed her name with a heart. She placed it carefully on the island where she knew he would see it and walked outside to the parked car Sean was waiting in.

"Hey babe," he said giving her a quick peck on the cheek and speeding off towards the party. It wasn't until it was too late that Hanna considered the potential consequences of the note. But she didn't care at the moment. She was too busy being perfect Hanna Marin, Queen of Rosewood.

"We never talked about us," Sean said stumbling over his words as he pulled Hanna to a couch. Great he was drunk, it wasn't even eleven yet and he was already more drunk than she had ever seen him. She would have to spend the rest of the night babysitting her ex-boyfriend, no wait he was her current boyfriend again. That didn't feel right…she shouldn't have to correct herself like that.

"Now's really not a good time," Hanna said as he trailed kisses down her neck in a very un-Sean like gesture while her mind wandered to other things…like Caleb. What was he doing right now? Was the blonde skank touching him like Sean was touching her or worse…was Caleb taking her into the guest bedroom?

"Of course it is…we're all alone," Sean slurred as his touches became much more than Hanna had ever experienced from him. Before she would've done anything for him to touch her like this but now she didn't know what to do.

"But you're drunk," Hanna said as she allowed him to continue without giving him any reaction. She felt dirty, like what she was doing was wrong, like she was cheating…on Caleb. But she and Caleb weren't together so it wasn't really cheating….it should be ok.

"So," Sean questioned pausing to look at her and cocking his head to the side in confusion. Now she really did see the dog reference Lucas had made.

"So you probably won't even remember this conversation in the morning," she said trying to stifle the small laugh she could feel building up in her throat as she pictured Sean as a giant dog.

"You've been cold since we got back together. I thought this is what you wanted," Sean said turning more aggressive. Obviously Sean didn't fare well with too much alcohol in his system.

"It is…it's just I don't want to set what we are yet," Hanna mumbled looking away and wishing she hadn't listened to A.

"What's this about? Is there someone else? Does this have something to do with that guy who jailbreaks phones? Whatever his name is…?" Sean asked pulling away to stare Hanna down, ready to get some answers.

"No…this has nothing to do with Caleb…he's nobody," Hanna said and luckily Sean didn't catch the underlying sadness in her words.

"Good because he's bad. What he does is illegal. He's dark and sketchy and I don't want you going around him," Sean said protectively but still not toning down the aggressiveness.

"He's not bad. And if what he does is illegal then I'm sure paying him to do it for you is illegal too. He only seems dark because his life sucks. Why won't anyone just give him a chance?" Hanna groaned pulling away from Sean sharply and leaving him on the couch to go in search of any alcohol she could get her hands on. If she was gonna stick around then she was going to need as much as she could get.

It took her a few drinks but she was finally loosening up when her phone buzzed. Fearing it was her mother; she grew quite tense and made her way outside to take the call. Once she was away from the crowd, she realized it was just a text. Thinking it was from Caleb who had realized where she was and grown extremely jealous she opened it with a smile. But the smile quickly faded when she saw the correct sender.

"Careful Han…too much and you spill all your dirty little secrets…or at least they get out somehow. –A"

Hanna stumbled back inside to where Sean was waiting for her, with his phone in his hand. He was staring at the tiny screen with a dumbstruck look on his face that made him look even stupider than usual and that was pretty hard to do. When he looked up and saw her, he stormed to confront her.

"You lying bitch," he said smacking her across the face.

"What the fuck Sean!" she screeched clutching her burning cheek.

"You said he was nobody," Sean continued shoving his phone into her face so she could see the picture.

"Sean…that was a mistake…I…I swear," she said fumbling for words that would explain the situation on the screen. But it was hard to explain why there was a picture of her seducing Caleb covering the screen of Sean's phone.

"Too bad. I should've known you like broken guys. You like being seen with guys like me but at the end of the day you go crawling into bed with losers," Sean spat as he struggled to stay standing.

"It's not like that!" Hanna cried out trying desperately to save some face.

"I think you should go," Sean said turning away in search of the nearest place to lie down.

"Fine!" Hanna screamed at him as she stomped out the door. She didn't know what she was doing or where she was going but decided outside was better than inside. At least out here she could cry to herself while she worked up the courage to call Caleb to come get her.

"Hanna? What's wrong?" he said when he heard her shaky breathing.

"Can you come get me? My keys are on the island," she said, opting not to go through the details yet.

"Yeah…I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Just stay put," Caleb sighed and said something to someone in the background. That's when Hanna remembered his date. She was about to tell him never mind she would call one of the girls but he had already hung up. So she sat and drank some more and waited for him to come rescue her. She was on the verge of sleep when her phone woke her up.

"Oh Hanna, I thought you knew better than to leave a party alone. Careful now, these woods are full of bad things. –A"


	29. Chapter 29

**This was originally part of the last chapter but then I started writing it and it got way too long. So you get two chapters today! Yay! Anyway sorry if it gets a little confusing. And this was supposed to go up like noon on the dot but of course whenever I promise a new chapter my internet decides to hate me. ENJOY!**

In case she wasn't already creeped out by the woods surrounding the house, now she was borderline petrified. Caleb still wasn't there to save her and there was no way she could count on Sean to come running to her rescue if A decided to attack. She heard a noise and snapped her head up from the phone in her hands to inspect her surroundings. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the noises behind her. Next thing she knew her vision faded black and someone was carrying her deeper into the woods and further from the house.

She woke up dazed and confused, sprawled out on the cold ground. She sat up and looked around but found no hint of where to go to find help. She didn't know what time it was or how to find her way out of this situation. When she finally realized this wasn't some realistic dream, she picked up her phone and read the text on the screen.

"Time for a game of hide-and-seek. I'll be it. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. Ready or not here I come. –A"

Hanna jumped up and scanned the area around her. She didn't know what to do but run. She didn't know where she was going but she was hoping she was getting farther away from A. She could've been walking right into A's trap for all she knew but she wouldn't stay put. But unfortunately she was still a bit drunk from the party and heels that high aren't meant for running in. So the cliché chase scene happened, and she found herself sprawled out on the ground again with someone calling her name.

"Ok Hanna, let's get you home," Caleb said as he found her a bit too far from the house for his approval of her safety. Now that he's here, she feels safer but she was still on hyper-alert mode, listening for any sign of A.

"Wait," she responded weakly hushing him as she spins around listening for the sound again.

"What?" he asked looking at her as if she's lost her mind. But then he heard it too and his face grew stone stiff.

"You heard it too," she questioned but she knew the answer by the worry etched on his face.

"Let's just go back to the car ok?" he said as he helped her up off the ground.

"I can walk just fine," she protested although she didn't mind the comforting feeling of Caleb's arm around her waist.

"Not very well," Caleb said trying to hurry them along as he caught sight of a dark figure lurking in the woods.

"I don't need your help," Hanna said struggling against Caleb who by now was practically carrying her.

"Hanna, I don't want to scare you," Caleb warned as she struggled even more, "but there's someone watching us so just let me help you so we can get to the car quicker."

"I know that," Hanna sighed as she gave in and looked over Caleb's shoulder where she swore something or someone had just moved. But she dismissed that thought and let Caleb's embrace comfort her and send all her worries away.

Hanna blinked a couple times adjusting her eyes to the change of waking up. She knew she was in a car but she didn't feel like inspecting too much. She couldn't even remember how she ended up here, except some fuzzy details of a fight with Sean, an attack from A, and Caleb…being her Caleb. Her makeup was smeared and her curls had deflated a long time ago. The sun was just starting to come up. Her mom was gonna be so far beyond pissed it wasn't even funny. She could already hear her mother's loud angry rant mixing with the pounding in her head. Worst hangover ever.

"Oh good. You're awake. I was afraid I would have to carry you inside," the driver said when he noticed she was stirring.

"What even happened?" Hanna asked, although she wasn't sure she really wanted a recap of her anything less than fabulous actions.

"You really don't remember?" the boy she now recognized as Caleb asked.

"Vaguely," she mumbled looking around and trying to find her bearings.

"I'm throwing out those shoes," Caleb joked and Hanna found her favorite shoes tossed absentmindedly on the dashboard.

"Well they're no good without the heel," Hanna said as she noticed the reason for her killer ankle was the snapped heel of her left shoe. She was going to question how her favorite sexy heels had broken but she knew that her highest heels and alcohol was a bad mix. That and she got a text that jump started her memory.

"I told you that you would lose your crown if you didn't listen to me. It's your fault that I had to send him the picture. –A"

"So what's the damage?" Hanna asked; he must know something about the gossip flying around the entire town by now.

"Hmm…well you don't look too good," he said gingerly not knowing what he could say without receiving a tough smack from her, and she was wearing rings…that would hurt.

"Awesome," Hanna groaned turning to face the window and staring out into the early morning darkness.

"Just be thankful I found your note before your mom did. I mean seriously a note? A text would've been fine. Besides you were being stupid. You practically screamed 'I'm going to get drunk and fuck some random guy' is that something you wanted your mom to find?" Caleb said although he didn't have her full attention anymore.

"I thought you would appreciate a little hand written note. I even signed it with a heart," Hanna scoffed.

"Yeah I'm definitely the guy to leave love notes around for," Caleb mocked.

"Who said it was a love note," Hanna teased.

"So do you really need a recap of last night and early this morning?" Caleb said changing the topic after he realized his slip.

"Just one part…and answer honestly," Hanna said knowing it was now or never.

"Ask away," Caleb said with his eyes focused carefully on the road. If he had taken a second to glance at her out of the corner of his eye, he would've known where she was going and could've prepared himself for her question but he didn't.

"Where are we?" Hanna said eyeing his face for any expression of what he was thinking. Luckily for him keeping his eyes on the road was a good excuse for not looking at her, otherwise she would've been able to read his eyes and know exactly how he wanted to answer that question.

"Uhm…I'd say about fifteen minutes from your house," Caleb said as he pulled off the interstate.

"Not what I meant," Hanna said rolling her eyes at him.

"Why do we need a label? You've never needed a label before," Caleb explained stealing a glance at the girl in the passenger seat.

"Because there needs to be a line somewhere. I didn't know how to react when I saw you with that girl at the mall and…" Hanna rambled letting more slip than she meant to.

"So this is about Grace. You saw me at the mall with her and…you were jealous," Caleb trailed off breaking into a huge smile.

"Please…you wish. I was not jealous," Hanna said blushing which was enough of an answer for Caleb.

"Oh you were jealous. You wouldn't have brought it up if you weren't," Caleb countered, though he should have known better than to fight Hanna on the jealously topic…he too had been extremely jealous when he read her note. It earned him a light smack.

"So what are we?" Hanna asked changing the topic back to what she wanted to discuss all while avoiding his gaze; of course he was doing the same so it didn't really matter.

"Whatever you wanna be Princess," he said hoping that would satisfy her for now.

"What if I don't know," she said nervously. Sure she wanted to have this conversation but she could've planned a better place so if it got awkward they wouldn't be stuck together…but maybe that was a benefit of being in the car for the talk, neither one could run away.

"That's ok. We can work it out later, I'll be here," Caleb said reaching out for her hand to give her a reassuring squeeze, and leaving it there when she didn't shove it away. Oh if only she could see his eyes right now. He was trying hard not to show it on his face but his eyes were betraying his happiness. She hadn't said no (and still hadn't said anything about being called Princess).


	30. Chapter 30

**Here it is, the chapter where we finally see Hanna making an effort to forgive Caleb and working with him to be more than just housemates. We also see some drama between the girls and their parents. Yay! Enjoy!**

"Hanna where have you been? I've been worried sick," Mrs. Marin called when she heard the front door open.

"Just go pretend you've been here the entire time," Hanna whispered to Caleb sending him upstairs while she went to face her mom.

"No. I'm not leaving you to suffer the torture alone," Caleb said as he followed Hanna to the living room where her mother was waiting.

"Mom it's not his fault. He didn't do anything," Hanna said keeping her distance from Caleb, hoping it would prove to her mom that he wasn't to blame for her all night adventure.

"I know honey. Caleb you can go upstairs now. I need to talk to my daughter," Mrs. Marin continued in an emotionless voice. Caleb didn't know whether to sit down with Hanna and hold her hand through this or if it would be better to go upstairs and wait for her there.

"It's ok Caleb. Night," Hanna said as if she were reading his thoughts. She sent him a look that said don't go to sleep yet, I'll come to you after this.

"Goodnight Caleb," Mrs. Marin said reinforcing her daughter's statement with a bit more coldness to her words. He went upstairs stealing one last look at Hanna to make sure she was ok with him leaving.

"Hanna, we need to talk about what happened at the church. The police spent all yesterday afternoon talking to Spencer and Veronica says they're going to call the rest of you in later today. I just want you to be ready for that," Mrs. Marin explained while she studied her daughter's reaction.

"Yeah…ok…can I go to bed now?" Hanna said shaking her head to show this didn't bother her.

"Not yet. I met with all the other girls' parents and we've decided that it might be a good idea to send you girls to see someone who can help you. We should've done this a long time ago but now it seems like we still need to work through this with a professional," Mrs. Marin said dropping the bomb on her daughter.

"No. I don't need to talk to someone while they nod and ask me how it makes me feel. No. I won't go," Hanna complained but kept her voice down. The last thing she wanted right now was for Caleb to think she's crazy.

"This isn't open for discussion," Mrs. Marin said ending their conversation and dismissing her daughter to bed.

"Obviously you're pissed. What happened?" Caleb asked from the doorway to the guest room and Hanna stomped past huffing an aggravated sigh.

"Not now. My mom is on her way up soon. Once she goes to bed, come to my room," Hanna said pausing to smile at him and to tease him just enough to make sure he would be in her room the second her mom's door shut.

"Ok. I'm here. What's wrong?" Caleb asked when he showed up in her room moments later shutting the door behind him.

"Can you stay with me tonight? Or at least lay with me until I go to sleep?" Hanna asked getting up to lock the door behind him and pull him to her bed.

"Are you really gonna be able to sleep?" Caleb questioned, their night had been eventful and he was somewhat surprised that Hanna was still tired.

"I don't know but I don't wanna be alone. That thing in the woods kinda creeped me out," Hanna said as she motioned for him to turn around so she could change. Caleb questioned the fact that she was so scared to sleep now that they were safe at home when she had had no problem sleeping in the car, but kept this to himself.

"Fine but in the morning you're paying the breakfast bill, including the bacon tax," Caleb joked as he spread out on her queen sized bed.

"Breakfast bill and bacon tax?" she questioned throwing her clothes into a pile in the corner before joining him on her bed that he was hogging.

"Just the small payment for my services tonight," he smirked as she shoved him to one side of her bed lightly. He responded by tickling the blonde who was now stretching out on the bed within finger distance.

"Stop! We're gonna get caught," Hanna whispered as best she could through her giggles. But he wouldn't stop so she reached out and grabbed his wrists pulling them down to her stomach and away from her neck, causing him to pause and meet her eyes. They were seconds away from falling into the trap and resuming their relationship of weeks before.

"So what's this about?" Caleb asked after clearing his throat and breaking their stare. Whatever they were, it was too early to slip into old habits.

"Huh? Oh…I'm sure you heard about the church thing by now," Hanna said avoiding his eyes; she didn't want to see the disappointment from him too.

"Yeah…couldn't exactly escape that story even way out of town," Caleb said realizing their play time was over and the conversation was about to go serious.

"Well what do you know about it?" Hanna asked knowing how much gossip can twist itself around overnight in this town.

"I don't know anything except the rumors I've heard….so I don't know anything," Caleb said as Hanna released his wrists.

"Ian…he was stalking us and he'd been watching us change and filmed it for years. We found his videos and…he tried to kill Spencer and make it look like a suicide. We heard it. Her phone had called Emily by mistake and we heard all of it. Then we showed up at the church and found Ian hanging in the bell ropes. We thought it was all over but when the police showed up there was no body," Hanna cried as she rambled on, remembering every detail of that night.

"Well he's not going to watch you anymore," Caleb said weakly taking her in his arms trying to sooth her crying and hoping she would accept it.

"He's still out there and now my mom thinks I'm crazy. She's sending me to a therapist and the entire town thinks I'm a mentally unstable liar," she continued to sob into his shoulder.

"Well not the whole town. You've still got me on your side. And seeing a therapist doesn't make you crazy," he whispered into her ear and she continued to cry.

"God…I'm not normally like this. I'm so sorry," Hanna said when she pulled away and saw the wet spot from her tears on Caleb's shirt.

"It's ok. You're always perfect. You need someone to be yourself with. It's what friends are for," he said as she laid back down on her bed and turned her back to him. Having him there made her feel a little better, at least enough to fall asleep. But this time they were sleeping on their own sides of the bed, not wrapped up in each other.


	31. Chapter 31

**AHHHHH! Ok I know that no excuse is a good excuse but my laptop was fried. Anyway here's another short, almost fluffy chapter but I'll update again ASAP. Don't worry about the friends thing, he just didn't wanna scare her off. Besides they have to actually work towards being more this time. Their crazy chemistry and sexual tension isn't gonna cut it now. But this is a HALEB story and will eventually end (whenever I get around to that) with a happily ever after for them. **

"Hanna? Hanna! Your door is locked! Where's Caleb? I swear if he's in there with you I will kick him out of this house before he can even pull his clothes back on," Mrs. Marin screamed through Hanna's bedroom door waking the sleeping couple up-not couple…two friends.

"Don't worry Mom, he went out already. I don't know where but I saw the text when I woke up," Hanna shouted back while pushing Caleb under her bed before she went to open the door so she could prove her innocence to her mom.

"Then why was your door locked?" her mom questioned as she eyed the room suspiciously.

"The lock's been really sensitive lately and just grazing it will lock it," Hanna offered hoping her mom would buy it.

"Ok then. I've been called into work. Can you handle being here by yourself today?" Mrs. Marin said accepting of Hanna's excuse and Caleb-free room.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm probably gonna meet the girls later," Hanna said casually trying to push her mother out of her room.

"Ok well you know to call me if you need me. I should be home in time for dinner," Mrs. Marin continued.

"I know the drill. Bye Mom," Hanna finished giving her mother a quick goodbye kiss before shutting her door.

"All clear?" Caleb asked from his hiding place under her bed.

"Just about…ok," Hanna said waiting for the click of the front door before helping pull him out.

"So how about that breakfast now? I believe that was the agreement," Caleb smirked as he pulled one of her bras out with him.

"Give that back," Hanna exclaimed with a light blush covering her cheeks, "Just let me get a shower and you could clean up some too."

"Ok well I'm hungry so let's hurry it up," Caleb said plopping down onto Hanna's bed.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Hanna said jumping onto the bed beside him.

"Waiting for you to get your shower?" Caleb asked as she looked at him with one of those looks that told him he was being stupid.

"You can wait in the guest room or downstairs or anywhere else but my room," Hanna said smacking him carefully across the chest.

"So…does that include the bathroom?" Caleb smirked earning another less careful smack.

"Hmm…no. Perv," Hanna smiled gathering her clothes to go get a quick shower.

"Easier to ask forgiveness than permission," Caleb said to himself as he followed her out of her room but went to the guest room to get himself ready.

"Hanna, can I get in there real quick? I need to get ready for the day too," Caleb groaned as he knocked on the bathroom door thirty minutes later.

"The door is locked and I'm still in the shower," Hanna called back as she relaxed until the stream of hot water.

"A locked door has never been a problem for me Princess," Caleb responded picking the lock and letting himself into the bathroom.

"That wasn't an invite to come in," Hanna said when she heard the door swing open.

"Yeah well you're taking too long. I'm not even sure how there's still any hot water," Caleb joked before he got his toothbrush out.

"Hanna! We need to talk! Where are you?" Mrs. Marin called from the foyer as the door slammed shut.

"Mom I'm in the shower. Can this wait?" Hanna called back fretting any possible way this could play out.

"No it most certainly can't wait," Mrs. Marin yelled as she stomped up the stairs towards the bathroom. In a frenzied panic Caleb dropped his toothbrush back where he kept it and jumped in the shower with Hanna.

"You're mom doesn't know I'm home," Caleb whispered when Hanna's eyes grew huge. Hanna nodded in response as her mom entered the bathroom.

"I just got a call from Veronica, the cops are calling you girls in, and they say something about going out into the woods by yourselves to try to catch Ian," Mrs. Marin shouted.

"Look Mom, I really can't talk right now," Hanna said shushing Caleb who was glaring at her with the 'you went out to do something dangerous and stupid and we will discuss this later' look that made her think of a disappointed parent (probably the same look her mom was wearing at the moment).

"What were you thinking?" her mom continued ranting as she and Caleb nervously stood in the shower, afraid that they would be caught at any moment.

"Can we talk later? I'm meeting Caleb for breakfast and I'm already running late," Hanna said trying to get her mother to leave so Caleb could get out of the shower. She could tell what it was doing to him and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face that part of their relationship yet.

"I'm glad you are working to forgiving him Hanna. He really loves you and I think it's good for you to have him in your life but that doesn't mean you can just drop everything to go be with him. This is a bit more important than fixing your relationship with him. What you did was dangerous and I…" her mom countered but was interrupted.

"I get it, ok? I get it. What we did was stupid and we could've gotten hurt. But we were not lying to the police. Why can't you just believe me? You never believe me," Hanna cried and in an act of pure reflexes Caleb wrapped his arms around her soaking wet body.

"Han…we have to get past all this. I'm arranging a dinner with your father tonight. You will be there," Mrs. Marin snapped.

"Please Mom, no. You can't make me go see him," Hanna begged her mother, still sobbing and being held by Caleb.

"I can and I will. I hate seeing him too but he is your father and he has a right to be a part of this as much as I do. I'm sorry Hanna but that's the way things are," her mother exclaimed getting frustrated and leaving the bathroom before Hanna had a chance to argue again.

"So…daddy drama?" Caleb asked once Mrs. Marin left the house.

"Ugh…shut up," Hanna said rinsing out her hair and flipping it around her hand so the water ran out and shot into Caleb's face.

"Wow. Real mature," Caleb joked as he stepped out of the shower and shook off.

"Thanks," Hanna said as Caleb handed her the robe she had waiting.

"So breakfast?" Caleb smirked.

"Still thinking about food," Hanna smiled while she bent over to towel tried her hair.

"Not only food…" Caleb trailed off as she whipped her hair and snapped back up to face him.

"Ok. I'll go get dressed," Hanna said tossing her towel at Caleb's face, "You smell like wet dog. Get a shower."


	32. Chapter 32

**So here's another chapter. Hopefully you like it. There's some more fluff here but we will get back to some drama eventually so enjoy the lighter chapters while you still can.**

"So wanna tell me about this stupid stunt in the woods?" Caleb questioned once they were on the pursuit of food.

"Not really," Hanna groaned rolling her eyes to look out the window instead of the boy in the driver's seat who had commandeered her car (and maybe her heart…but at the very least her thoughts).

"You wanna start explaining or do I have to ask questions?" he continued, determined to get any information on just why she had put herself in danger like that.

"And I'm guessing that not talking about it isn't an option?" she bit back continuing her attempts to change the topic to something else, or silence…silence would work too.

"Looks like I have to get the information from you myself," he said reaching over to tickle her in the exact spot he knew would drive her to the breaking point.

"Stop stop stop! We're gonna crash! Seriously! Focus on the road," Hanna squeaked out blended in amongst her many giggle fits.

"Tell me what made you think going to the middle of nowhere in some sketchy woods by yourself to catch someone you thought is a killer was a good idea," Caleb said putting his hand back on the wheel and turning his attention back to the drive in front of them.

"Ok first of all, I wasn't alone I was with Emily and Aria," Hanna began with an aggravated huff.

"Ha. Emily and Aria? Wow you sure went with the biggest body guards you could think of," Caleb scoffed annoyed with Hanna's stupidity.

"Yeah well someone had left me without goodbye so…I wasn't exactly thinking clearly," Hanna admitted.

"For the last God damn time, I did not leave without goodbye! I gave Mona an envelope to give you. It had a note telling you everything and even a little necklace thing," Caleb argued so frustrated that he nearly slammed on the brakes.

"Well I never got it…" Hanna mumbled quietly when she realized the effect she had on Caleb and how he could get so mad so quickly…it almost scared her but she knew he didn't mean it.

"Sorry," he muttered as their conversation ended and they continued to the little café in silence.

"Hanna! Come sit Sweetie! We need to catch up," Mona began the second Hanna stepped into the café.

"Hey Mona, what's up?" Hanna questioned as Mona pulled her to her table.

"Well there's this dirty little rumor going around that…" Mona whispered then noticed that Caleb was with Hanna and gasped, "So it's true?"

"Whats true?" Hanna asked while Caleb stood there uneasily, he didn't like this Mona girl.

"That you two…well it's all around school. You and Sean went to a party but you got drunk. Everyone saw you leaving with Caleb and assumed…" Mona explained eyeing Caleb with disgust.

"Assumed what?" Hanna wondered out loud as she waited for the rest of the story.

"Hanna lets go, and Mona give Hanna the necklace. I told her about the letter," Caleb growled at Mona before she could finish. He knew exactly what everyone was assuming.

"What are you talking about?" Mona gasped putting a hand to the little silver heart locket around her neck.

"It's a locket. I didn't have the money to get it engraved and I thought a picture would be weird. So open it. There's a little note that says I love you," Caleb said restraining himself so he wouldn't snatch the trinket off the obnoxious girl's neck.

"Wow. That's a good one," Mona said nervously dismissing his claim of theft.

"Just open it," Hanna said looking between Caleb and Mona trying to decide who to trust.

"He's obviously lying Han," Mona said in shock that her best friend was taking his side.

"Then what's the harm in opening it?" Hanna pressed wanting the truth.

"Ugh…fine," Mona said slipping it off her neck and opening it to reveal the little love note clearly written by Caleb.

"I believe that is mine," Hanna said taking the note and necklace from Mona's open palm.

"Let me explain," Mona whined desperately trying to come up with some sort of reason for doing what she had done.

"Not now," Hanna said as Caleb slipped his hand into hers.

"Come on," he said pulling her away from the brunette who was on the verge of a meltdown.

"Thanks," Hanna said putting the locket into his hand.

"You're giving it back?" he asked stopping to face her and dropping her hand.

"For now. I can't wear it yet. Give it back when I can," she said as he put the necklace into his pocket and picked up her hand again.

Caleb led her to a booth in the very back. It was so weird to be out with him-not that they were on a date or anything she had to remind herself. Just seeing him out in the open was a foreign idea to her. She had only seen him at school and at her house, anything in between was just what she had heard about him-sketchy alleyways and dark areas for doing business that was frowned upon. Being out in public like this seemed foreign to him too as he kept looking around the place. He had been the one to pick their booth in the back.

"So…" Hanna started awkwardly trying to grasp the words to start some sort of conversation. Usually silence had worked for them but being out like this seemed to require some talking.

"So…" Caleb countered while playing with his phone on the table. It buzzed and out of instinct Hanna reached for it and got it first.

"I'm leaving today. Thought we could meet up to say bye? 3 G"

"Who is she?" Hanna asked looking up at him across from her. She was trying to sound indifferent and not jealous but was probably failing as Caleb's response was a simple laugh.

"Seriously? It's Grace. She's in town looking at Hollis. What's it going to take for you not to be jealous every time she texts me?" Caleb asked taking back his phone and sending off a response.

"I am not jealous," Hanna scoffed watching carefully as Caleb typed the message, trying to get any hint of what he might be saying.

"Ok ok, fine you're not jealous," Caleb smirked looking at the screen of his phone, probably the reply for Grace.

"I'm going to go meet with the girls. Why don't you go see Grace then," Hanna said gathering her purse and keys.

"We haven't even ordered our food," Caleb protested.

"You can stay I wasn't that hungry anyway," Hanna said pulling out money for his food.

"But you drove," Caleb complained as she stood up.

"So," Hanna responded as she walked away.

"Great," Caleb mumbled to himself as he pulled out his phone and made a quick call, "Hey. Yep. I was having breakfast with a friend. Yeah. Be right there."


	33. Chapter 33

**Here's another little chapter. It's a little short but I'll but up another chapter tonight. For right now, updates will be sporadic but I will get them up when I can at whatever length I can (but they will never be that short). Hopefully you'll enjoy this little chapter before we get into the next chapter.**

Hanna got in her car slamming the door behind her. She wasn't supposed to feel so hurt by Caleb being with other girls but she still felt that sickness building up in her throat. It made her want to gag. Damn it. She was crying. That feeling was the feeling of holding in the hot tears that were now rolling down her cheeks. Why did she have to feel like this? Why couldn't she just move on? Caleb clearly had.

Luckily she had the opportunity to just press her foot down, blare loud music, and just forget about it while she drove off to be with the girls. It would always make her feel better. They all had problems; it made her feel normal to be with them. Plus it didn't hurt to know that A was going out of her way to make life miserable for other people too.

"So anyone else's life gone to hell in the past 48 hours," Hanna called slinging her purse onto the table before crashing onto the couch with a sigh.

"Better question is whose life hasn't?" Spencer responded from her place at the kitchen counter where she was serving up ice cream for them all. At least she wouldn't be attacking a gallon of triple chocolate ice cream on her own. But maybe she shouldn't eat anyway…that Grace girl was super skinny…and maybe Caleb liked super skinny girls.

"Any of you have therapy with a…uhm what was the name…Dr. Porter…next week?" Aria asked as she helped Spencer dole out the bowls.

"Monday," Emily chimed in, still playing with her phone, hair, nails, or anything that would distract her.

"Tuesday," Spencer groaned as she put the ice cream back in the freezer

"Wednesday. That leaves you on Thursday?" Hanna asked noticing the theme.

"Yep. Four forty-five until five thirty every other week," Aria responded plopping down into a chair.

"At least I'm not the only crazy one anymore," Spencer sighed as she joined the girls in the lounge part of the room.

"Nope. Now we're all crazy," Hanna added playing with her ice cream rather than eating it, "So what do we say?"

"About what?" Aria asked as she brought a bite to her mouth.

"Well about Alison and Ian and all that mess," Hanna whispered knowing that they shouldn't say much but they had to decide on what to say and how much to say.

"Well nothing for now," Spencer explained as if it was obvious.

"But they're already gonna know some stuff. Maybe we should have something we can all agree on saying. You know, just in case they ask about it. It is the reason we have to go," Aria said backing Hanna's side of the argument.

"I just think it's safer if we don't get anyone else involved in this. I mean why should they believe anything we say anyway? We've all been labeled as liars," Spencer explained still supporting her no tell policy.

"Well what do you think Em," Hanna said turning her attention to the one girl who had barely spoken since she got here.

"What…oh…I don't think it really matters what I say. I'm leaving in two weeks," Emily said quietly.

"You can't be serious," Hanna moaned.

"My mom already packed everything. We're just waiting until finals are over," Emily added just as quietly as before.

"I told you I wouldn't let that happen," Hanna said while she dug through her purse for her ringing phone.

"Hanna where are you? You need to come home right now," her mom's worried voice said on the other line.

"Ok ok. Calm down. I'm just with the girls. What's wrong?" Hanna said picking up on the tone of her mother's voice.

"It's…just come home ok?" her mom said hanging up the phone without waiting for Hanna to say she would be home in a couple minutes.

"Ok. My mom is having a panic attack or something and she wants me to come home. So what are we gonna say?" Hanna said wanting an answer before she left.

"We don't say anything, at least not yet. We can go to a few sessions then decide whether or not we trust this person enough to tell them," Spencer said firmly and it was decided.

"Fine," Hanna grumbled on her way out the door to hurry home. Finding a note taped to her window she pulled it off to inspect. On one side was a hand written message written in scrawl she recognized immediately. On the other was a picture that disturbed her.

"Looks like Sketchy is doing sketchy things with his Pretty Princess. But it's ok Han; I still love you even if you are getting a little pudgy. –A"

It was this Grace person. And she had her hands all over her Caleb…oops…not her Caleb. He wasn't her Caleb anymore. Anyway this blonde bitch had her face attached to Caleb's. And he had his arms around her impossibly tiny waist picking her up and swinging her around while her hands rested around his neck. They looked like the cliché cover of some stupid chick flick. She could feel that vile feeling burning its way up her throat and stuffed the fowl note into her purse, making a mental note to burn the disgusting picture evidence that Caleb wasn't hers anymore when she got home.

Regardless of how she felt about Caleb she just had to go home and face him. They could at least be friends right? Sure she had…strong feelings for him but she could put them aside and just be friends. They had been good friends. Playful teasing and being there for each other was what they did best. It would be best if she went home and confronted him. Put her cards on the table and let him go from there.

"Hanna, we need to talk. Come sit down with me," her mom called when the front door opened.

"What's this about? I was just with the girls," Hanna said hoping her mom wasn't going to get mad at her for going out or anything.

"No no. That's fine honey. But we need to talk about Caleb," Mrs. Marin said taking a deep breath as her daughter said down beside her, interested peaked by the mention of Caleb's name.

"What about him?" Hanna asked nervously hoping this wouldn't become a mother daughter boyfriend talk.


	34. Chapter 34

**And another little chapter, but don't worry the next one will be better. Insert author's note here about not owning and begging for reviews and other annoying stuff no one cares about reading…blah…blah…blah. Enjoy!**

"I came home and found him here with another girl. Do you know who she is? They both left when they saw me. I don't know what they were doing but I can only assume…they were in the guest room," Mrs. Marin continued sadly, knowing it would kill her daughter to know Caleb was cheating on her.

"Yeah mom. That was Grace. I don't know what they are…but I know," Hanna said putting on a brave face. She didn't need a sympathy session from her mom right now.

"Aww Sweetie. I'm so sorry," her mom said trying to pull her in for a hug, "She's obviously fake blonde, and a sickly skinny bitch. She's hideous. Just an awful girl. I hate her. He's too good for you. I can kick him out for this."

"Mom, it's ok. He's happy with her and we aren't together…can I just go upstairs now?" Hanna asked trying so hard to stay strong when all she wanted to do was cry.

"Of course. Don't forget we're going to dinner with your dad tonight…and his lovely new family," Mrs. Marin added bitterly.

"Do you know where?" Hanna asked as she stood up, pulling away from her mom.

"Somewhere fancy and Italian I believe," her mom said letting her go get cleaned up.

"Great," Hanna mumbled going upstairs with the thoughts of full load calorie meals stuck in her head.

"Hanna, I've got to run some errands. Will you be ok home alone?" she called back at her daughter.

"I'll be fine!" Hanna called back as she headed toward the shower, annoyed that her mom still treated her like a little kid.

"So tell me about the girl who keeps taking your attention away," the blonde said sipping casually on a lemonade.

"Hm…oh. Hanna," Caleb said breaking his face away from the screen of his phone. Ever since Hanna had left him at the café during their breakfast (ok technically it was brunch) he was waiting for her to call him home.

"So tell me about Hanna," the girl teased playfully.

"Well she hates you," he said as the girl took his phone and turned it screen side down on the table.

"She doesn't even know me," the girl said mocking a hurt expression.

"Yeah well she's jealous," Caleb laughed as he recalled all the reactions Hanna had when she found out about the girl who was now sitting across from him.

"What's there to be jealous of?" she said joining in his laughter for a different reason.

"She's been hurt a lot…can we talk about something else?" Caleb asked taking the girl's drink to steal a sip.

"Uhm…no," she responded to both his drink stealing and question, as she took her drink back playfully.

"Grace," he whined sick of talking and thinking about Hanna.

"Caleb," Grace mocked back but stopped when she saw his face, "You really like this girl don't you?"

"I'm leaving now," Caleb said getting up to walk away.

"Oh come on, I was just playing. Please stay," she begged grabbing onto his arm and pulling him back.

"Promise not to ask about Hanna and I'll stay" he bargained not sitting back down.

"Ugh fine," she said standing up and linking arms, "We can walk and talk."

"You really should go to law school. You're good with loop holes," he argued but let her continue to pull him around the small town.

"So Hanna…" Grace continued once they stopped to sit on a park bench.

"Not talking about her," Caleb protested trying to pull away.

"No. You are going to sit here and talk about her. You're not going to run away again," Grace said fighting to keep him with her.

"You can talk but that doesn't mean I'll say anything," Caleb said accepting the fact that she wouldn't stop until she had to leave.

"She was the one whose house we went to. You're living with her?" she continued trying to get the facts straight.

"Yes," Caleb answered quickly and leaving the conversation to be continued by Grace.

"Like when you lived with me?" she asked with a look that said she already knew the answer.

"Kinda," Caleb responded shortly again.

"Kinda how?" she asked hoping she would be getting to the point she wanted to hear.

"We were, are, kinda, together," Caleb said rolling his eyes and avoiding looking at Grace who was about ready to do a happy dance.

"You love her! Caleb Rivers actually found a girl he loves," she smiled bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Whoa there. Calm down. She doesn't love me anymore," Caleb said putting his hands on her shoulders to force her down.

"Well obviously she does. She gets jealous every time I text you! Idiot!" she said slapping him on the back on the head, Gibbs style.

"Except she doesn't. I tried to give her this but she gave it back," Caleb said pulling the locket he had left for her out of his pocket.

"When did you give it to her?" Grace questioned as she inspected the necklace.

"It's complicated. I left it for her with a note when I was left Wednesday night but I just gave it to her this morning. Her friend hadn't given her the letter and she was wearing it when we went to breakfast," Caleb began explaining.

"So you left but came back…for her?" Grace said as she began bouncing again.

"Would you stop that?" Caleb said as he tried again to calm the bouncing blonde, but his reaction gave her an answer.

"You love her! But oh my God….her mom caught us in your room. She's gonna think…you have to go home and talk to her now," Grace exclaimed jumping up nearly forcing Caleb off the bench.

"Ashley wouldn't think that…" Caleb said trailing off as he thought of what Mrs. Marin would do. She had promised to hurt him if he ever hurt her daughter, she could've seen this as hurting Hanna, which it probably would. Grace was right he had to go talk to Hanna now before Mrs. Marin got the chance.

"Come on I'll drop you off on my way back to the hotel," Grace said pulling him up and towards the rental car.

"Now this time, you better keep in touch," Grace said as she pulled up in front of the house.

"Ok I promise," Caleb said hoping out of the car once Grace put it in park, "if you promise to eat."

"Sounds like a deal," she said ignoring the small sting from his words.

"Bye," Caleb said as he gave Grace one last hug and she returned it with a quick peck then went inside to talk to Hanna.


	35. Chapter 35

**Anyway…here's the next chapter. I actually wrote it awhile ago but couldn't find the right place for it until now. I hope you like it. Also, I hope Grace isn't too Mary Jane blah, I'm trying to use her as a mirror for Hanna (I know that probably doesn't make much sense but it's the best description I can do right now) so she will be making more appearances throughout the story. Therefore I want to know when she's getting too much like I'm trying to force her into the story. Yes the eating disorder stuff is based off personal stuff so I really need someone to keep me in check that she doesn't become too much like me.**

Hanna stepped out of the shower and slipped into her nice soft cotton robe. She stared into the mirror deciding what to do with her hair before reached for her towel to dry it a little. As she pulled the towel to her, something small fell to the ground. Wrapped inside her folded towel had been a present from A with a note attached. Seems like A was planning part of her outfit for the night.

"Since he's moved into the guest room doesn't that make him a guest? Aren't you supposed to make guests happy? You know what would make him happy? You. In. This. –A"

Ugh A is such a perv, Hanna thought to herself as she imagined what A's intentions were. Technically any pictures or sex tape A made could be seen as child pornography since they were both minors. But Hanna wasn't complaining. She was getting free lingerie and getting to show off to Caleb. But this time, she wasn't listening to A. Her actions with Caleb were too fast, too rushed. She regretted every moment of what they had done before. She wasn't going to let A push them into another situation like that. It would put their new relationship in jeopardy.

But nonetheless she found herself standing in her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't going to show it to Caleb but what's the harm in just trying it on. It's not like she could return it anyway. But trying it on was a mistake. What she saw horrified her. It didn't fit. Sure the mark on the label said it should fit but it didn't. Her breasts were spilling out of the cups and her waistline seemed to have expanded substantially under the sheer fabric. She looked fat. There was no nice way of putting it. If she had ever considered the idea of entertaining Caleb while wearing this, that idea was long gone by the time she looked at herself. She was just thankful it was a more free-flowing baby-doll style rather than a tight, pinching corset. She didn't even want to think what she might look like in the latter.

The sound of her phone buzzing snapped her from her harsh criticism of her body and made her nearly jump out of her skin. Hesitantly she picked up her phone. She knew it was A. Only A knew exactly when she felt the worst about herself and when the perfect opportunity for a striking blow was. And sending a text while she was standing in front of a mirror, criticizing every flaw seemed only fitting for the bitch known as A.

"Aww…it doesn't fit right…you know how to fix that. The toothbrush is on the counter. –A"

A was right. She was hideous and disgusting. It made her feel sick to look at her own reflection. So when she picked up the toothbrush and forced the smooth handle down her throat, she didn't feel bad. She felt better. As she gagged and heaved into the toilet bowl she felt even better than when she had picked up the toothbrush. Once more for good measure-she had a lot to lose-and she felt almost decent. At least she did until she heard the knock on the door.

"Hanna? You ok?" came Caleb's voice from the other side. Surely he hadn't heard her though.

"I'm fine. I'll be out it a minute," Hanna squeaked giving Caleb all the probable cause he needed to pull the bobby pin out of his pocket and pick the lock open. Hanna didn't have time to hide or even cover herself before the door swung open.

"You're obviously not fine," Caleb scolded when he saw Hanna on the floor. He recognized the scene immediately. The toothbrush clutched in one hand while the other clung to the toilet bowl to steady herself.

"I told you to go away," Hanna growled picking herself up off the floor knowing the only way out of this was to stay strong and act like nothing was wrong.

"And I told you about Grace, how bad that hurt me. And here you are…on the floor of the bathroom, just like her. This is sick. You are sick. You need help," Caleb said furiously standing his ground.

"I am not sick and I don't need help," Hanna screeched ignoring the fact that she wasn't exactly wearing clothes, something Caleb had just realized.

"Do you even realize how bad what you're doing is? This is same stupid shit that nearly killed someone who meant so much to me. I told you that but you still…I'm calling your therapist. She can help you because I don't know what else to do," Caleb said storming out of the bathroom to the phone, or at least he would have if she hadn't been wearing what she was. God it was so hard for him to look away. What he had just caught her doing was sick and it should've ended all thoughts of how sexy she looked but…wow…and she thought she needed to lose any weight.

"Great, just pass off the problem to someone else. Just like everyone else always does," Hanna said taking a step closer to him.

He cornered her against the wall to stop her from running away like he knew she was about to try. Then gently put his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him. He was ready to make his point when he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. They were full of an emotion he just couldn't wrap his mind around. He didn't know what it was but it made him want to take her right there and then but at the same time it made him want to just take her in his arms and hold her, tell her everything would be ok and chase off whatever big bad thing was scaring her. She saw the desire in his eyes which made her want to kiss him with such passion that there would be no need for words but she also saw the confusion and the gears turning in his head as he tried to process what was going on.

"Why do you do this to yourself? You don't need it. You're better than this," Caleb said staring straight into her eyes.

She had no response vocally but decided to make her move then. She would not let him over think this. If he did, he might jump to conclusions and everything would go wrong, at least that's what happened whenever she over thought anything. She stole a quick kiss and pulled back. He continued to stare at her. Her actions had made his problem worse and by now she could probably feel it too. He had been pushed over the edge and now all that was left to do was to get out all the passion and desire they had for one another. They were wrapped up in the moment, seconds away from slipping into old routines. But she was afraid she didn't want to go back to how things were, she didn't know what she was feeling or how to react so she pushed him away.

"I have to get dressed for dinner," she offered quietly without looking at him before turning and running for her room, slamming the door behind her.


	36. Chapter 36

**I realized I have spoiled you by updating so constantly. I apologize for that but I cannot be held responsible for updating daily right now. I will do the best I can so suck it up. Here's another chapter. Its short but the next one will be longer and very important (*hint hint* A likes playing matchmaker and this time it works). Hopefully y'all enjoy it.**

Hanna sat in her room for awhile before she even got dressed. She was so tired of the back and forth weirdness with Caleb. She wanted to be able to say all or nothing but she didn't know if she could handle nothing. Even though the somewhat together relationship they had was killing her. Why did he have to catch her? He would probably never forgive her for this. He had been crushed by Grace's eating disorder and now he had another screwed up girl to deal with. If he had loved this Grace girl he had been hurt by her. He wouldn't fall for another broken girl like her. Seeing her on the floor probably would have set them back substantially.

After processing all that, she decided she needed to get dressed. She couldn't lay around in the lingerie all night. Besides, she was always looking for an excuse to get dressed up and look sexy. She pulled out her best black dress and slipped it on over the lingerie. In her mind, if you're wearing sexy underwear you will feel sexy. Feeling sexy could make her feel good about herself and help her move on. Besides she could flirt with a hot waiter and rub her new body in what's-her-name's face. Now she was the better looking daughter, and therefore her dad would pay attention to her.

"Hanna, honey, it's time to go. Are you ready yet?" Mrs. Marin said as she knocked on the door to her daughter's bedroom.

"Yeah just a minute," she called back as she inspected herself in the mirror again, fluffing her hair a bit and blinking her eyes over the mascara wand another time.

"Caleb why aren't you ready yet?" she heard her mom's voice calling out again and she stopped dead still. Why would Caleb need to be ready? It sounded like…no…he couldn't be coming with them to dinner.

"Ready…for what?" Caleb stuttered. He knew exactly what for but he didn't like it. He was not ready to face Hanna yet and obviously she wasn't ready to face him either.

"No no. I think it would be good for Hanna to have a friend with her. Her step family can be just awful. I want you to come too. Now go get dressed," Ashley said going to her own room to put the finishing touches on her outfit of the evening. Sure her ex-husband was her ex but she still wanted to look hot and show off, make him regret it.

"Mom…do you know where…" Hanna began stepping out of her room where she expected to find her mom but stopped when she saw Caleb. He stood there staring at her in silence while she looked anywhere but at him, struggling to make a move.

"Hey," Caleb said breaking the stiff silence between the two of them.

"Hey," she replied slowly and nervously looking away.

"You look great," he said pulling her into a hug that she really needed. She still hadn't recovered from their earlier encounter. She probably thought he hated her and would never look at her the same, he couldn't let her think that.

"Thanks," she mumbled back as she pulled away and straightened her simple but stunning black dress.

"I…think we should talk," Caleb said pulling her into the guest room and away from the possibility of her mother hearing what he had to say.

"You need to get dressed," Hanna said as she tried to leave.

"Wait. I want to apologize," he argued grabbing her wrist, begging her to accept his apology and listen to the rest of what he had to say.

"Do you have anything good enough to wear?" she responded ignoring his comment.

"I was pretty much homeless until I moved in with you. Do you think I have anything besides this?" he countered motioning to what he was wearing. Hanna took one look at him and sent a quick text to Spencer.

"Hey can you ask your beau for a favor?"

"Depends on what…"

"Caleb needs to borrow some clothes…dinner with my dad…"

"Oh…good luck. Lemme check."

"Awesome. I totally owe you big time!"

"He says sure. Meet at his house in five."

"K thanks! :)"

"Come with me," Hanna said as she picked up her sparkly silver clutch and grabbed her nice coat. Caleb followed willingly hoping for another glimpse.

"Can we just stop this?" Caleb said while they drove in silence (that he was getting sick of) the short distance to the Cavanaugh house.

"Agreed," Hanna said focusing on the road but knowing exactly what he meant by this. She had been working up the courage to say the same thing.

"So…" he said, questioning what she meant by 'agreed'.

"So…what?" she said back. He had brought it up, he could keep it going.

"What are we then?" he asked, she had been the one to want a label before.

"I don't know. Can we just focus on getting through tonight without worrying about all that? Please? We can talk after dinner. I promise," Hanna begged as she pulled up outside Toby's house.

"Sure," Caleb said dejectedly, next time he would have to be more controlling and just ask her out.

Minutes later she sat at Toby's kitchen table talking with Spencer while Toby and Caleb searched for something that she would deem acceptable for dinner. Somehow the boys had become fast friends, probably bonding over the misunderstood bad boy exterior they both possessed while the girls talked about anything except A. Finally Caleb came downstairs and it took her breath away. Usually the guy said that but looking at him really did shock her. He cleaned up good. It didn't look like he was borrowing clothes in a last ditch effort to look presentable. He actually pulled it off, even with his sexy long hair.

"Approved," Hanna smiled as she looked over his outfit.

"Awesome. Thanks Toby. Let's go," Caleb said quickly ready to leave.

"Thank you so much," Hanna said as she followed him out to her car, where Caleb sat in the driver's seat ready to go. He obviously just wanted the night over now, and she did too. Neither one was looking forward to dinner.


	37. Chapter 37

**Ok here it is you spoiled people. I guess it's too late to fix that. The chapter you've been waiting for. A nice long chapter. Yay. Enjoy the double update now because I have new rules and I'm gonna follow them. One update a day is nice enough, no more multiple updates (for the rest of the week). If you're going through withdrawal try making your own HALEB story. It might make me happy enough to surprise you spoiled people a double update.**

Hanna got out of her car and handed the valet her keys. She walked around to where Caleb stood waiting for her. This was it. He was meeting her dad, sure they weren't dating (right now) but it was still important that they get along. He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully. She did not want to walk in alone but she could already picture the looks on Kate and Isabel's faces. What would her father think of the shaggy haired boy with her? Hopefully he wouldn't like Caleb…this could be her chance.

"Hold up one second," Hanna said as they walked in. She paused to adjust Caleb's tie and straighten herself.

"Really?" Caleb said as her hands went around his neck carefully flattening any wrinkles.

"I want you to look good," she replied as she took his hand and led him to the table where her family sat.

"Hanna dear, how are you?" Isabel grinned showing her pearly white fake smile.

"Hanna. You've grown so much," her dad said standing to hug her and she forced a weak smile back.

"Thank you Dad," she said pulling away and sitting between her mom and Caleb.

"And who is this?" her father said as Kate smiled at Caleb, twirling her hair and looking like an idiot.

"Oh, Dad this is…" Hanna began but didn't know how to finish the statement.

"Caleb Rivers," the boy said extending his hand to Mr. Marin.

"Ah. Nice to meet you," the older man said as he waved the waiter over.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter said as he approached the new blonde sitting at the table.

"Not yet, let's get some drinks," Mr. Marin said taking control of the group around him and giving the newcomers time to look over the menu.

"And for you Miss?" the waiter smiled when he made his way around to Hanna.

"Oh an iced tea please, with lemon?" Hanna smiled up at him, noticing the attractive facial features of the boy she hadn't noticed before.

"I will bring these right out," he said smiling at Hanna as he left to the kitchen.

Throughout the meal Kate continued to flirt shamelessly with Caleb while her father and mother argued. Hanna sat in the middle watching Kate eye Caleb like he was a piece of meat she would jump across the table to devour. Caleb's facial reactions were better than listening to her mother and father argue while Isabel chimed in as if she had any input into the situation. She sipped her drink and pushed the food around on her plate while mentally laughing at the irony of the fact that the dinner was to talk about her yet here she sat completely ignored. By the time the others had finished their meals (and hers looked somewhat eaten), she was about ready to walk away just to see if anyone noticed.

"Can I get the pretty lady some dessert?" the waiter smiled at Hanna as he took her plate.

"Let's just get something for the table," Kate spoke up snatching the attention back to her.

"Oh…ok then," the waiter said handing Kate the menu before turning back to look at Hanna.

"What do you say we order the…uhm….this chocolate layer cake thing…The Triple Chocolate Tower?" Kate smiled across at Caleb.

"I'll put the order in right away," the waiter said taking the menu back and leaving for the kitchen.

"So Caleb…I was thinking maybe…while I'm here in town we could…" Kate purred obviously flirting with the boy across the table from her.

"Caleb, I think I left my purse in the car, can you come with me to look for it please?" Hanna asked quickly placing her hand on Caleb's upper arm and silently begging him to just follow without questions despite the fact her purse was tucked neatly under her arm.

"Uhm…yeah…sure," he said once he saw how desperately she needed him to go with her.

"I wanted to warn you about Kate. I totally forgot before we got here," Hanna rambled quickly as soon as the step out into the cold air.

"Whoa…slow down there Blondie. What about this Kate person?" Caleb said putting his hands on her shoulders to try to calm her down.

"Just be careful. She likes you and she's used to getting what she wants," Hanna said looking him straight into his eyes, afraid that he would really go to Kate.

"She's not my type Princess. You don't have to worry about that," he said kissing her cheek to reassure her that he wasn't interested in the step-sister.

"Good," Hanna said unsure of what to do next.

"Let's just go back inside and stop leading that waiter on," Caleb said pushing her back into the warm restaurant; he could see her shivering eve under that thick winter coat.

"Ok…" Hanna said mindlessly as she pulled out her phone that had buzzed.

"I spy with my little eye something green. Mistletoe. Kiss him, a real lovey dovey kiss in front of everyone or I tell Mommy what you'd rather be doing with him. –A"

Hanna eyes snapped up from her phone to inspect the surrounding area for the traditional decoration she was meant to kiss Caleb under. She found it quickly. The small green plant with little white beads was hanging from the ceiling with a direct view from the table her family sat at. Perfect. She could show Kate that Caleb was hers while showing getting attention from her dad. That sounded like she was using him but she wasn't really. She wanted to kiss him just to kiss him.

Moments later she was positioning them perfectly under the mistletoe. Once she was satisfied, she stepped closer up onto her toes to kiss him directly on the lips. He was shocked at first then returned the kiss, much more passion and need from his end. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer and lifting her gently while she held herself by draping her arms across his shoulders so her hands hung lazily at the back of his neck. Her eyes were closed as she let the passion she had for Caleb take control but she could feel Kate's eyes burning into her back as she watched the two clinging to each other. She pressed herself flesh against him (letting Kate feel that awful jealous twinge she had been feeling towards Grace) and enjoy the taste of his lips on hers, a taste that was distinctly Caleb. They meshed perfectly as if two puzzle pieces, she knew how cheesy it sounded but it seemed so true. She would never forget that feeling.


	38. Chapter 38

**So I updated a chapter last night and it like never showed up or something. I can see it when I'm signed in and I got the email saying it worked but I don't know if you can see it because I can't when I'm not signed in. I'm so confused and I have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it…so I'm updating today's chapter earlier than I planned in hopes it will show that it updated. Anyway I hope you enjoy it and you can learn to be less spoiled because I will not be updating constantly anymore.**

They continued kissing through the sound of a dish clattering to the ground. Kate's annoyed, jealous rambling was never heard. Isabel's cooing and comment about how adorable they were seemed miles away. Mrs. Marin's comments of 'finally' and other happy words were completely ignored while they continued making out under the mistletoe. It was until her father's voice and the sound of him getting out of his chair and walking towards them that they broke apart for air.

"Hanna," her father warned as he approached the two,

"Let's just sit back down, ok?" Ashley said jumping up to ease the argument.

"I don't approve of this boy. What happened to Sean?" Mr. Marin said once they were seated.

"Dad…do we really have to talk about this right now?" Hanna groaned while Caleb held her hand under the table.

"Yes. We were supposed to talk about a lot of things during dinner which were never brought up. Is this boy the reason for your problems?" Mr. Marin shouted back at his daughter.

"Now Tom, do you really think we should have this conversation so loudly especially out in public?" Isabel said for once defending Hanna who looked ready to cry.

"Why don't we go back to the house and talk there," Ashley offered waving the waiter over for the bill.

"Fine. But we will talk about this," Tom said firmly before signing the check and herding the group towards the cars.

"Caleb wanna drive?" Hanna asked handing him her keys, he liked driving and she knew it.

"Of course Princess," he replied opening her car door for her, letting her dad see that he treated her right.

"Before we get home, I wanna talk to you…about us," Hanna said motioning between the two of them regardless of the fact Caleb wasn't looking at her (or at least wasn't supposed to be looking at her, come on she wasn't stupid, she could feel his eyes on her every chance he got). They would be home in a matter of minutes and it would have to be decided before then.

"Ok talk," Caleb said struggling to keep his eyes on the road. He wanted to pull over and finish what they started under the mistletoe.

"Well my dad probably thinks you're my boyfriend…" Hanna said leaving it open for Caleb to jump in and say something.

"He did just catch us making out. It makes sense to assume we're together," Caleb explained ignoring the fact she was trying to get him to make the first move.

"I know, I know…do you want…I mean…should I correct him?" Hanna asked bouncing the options back to Caleb.

"If you want to, that's ok," Caleb smirked giving Hanna control again. It was if they were playing a game of hot potato trying to get the other one stuck with putting the label on them, because neither one wanted to be the first to admit their feelings. That's just what happens when two incredible stubborn people like each other.

"And if I don't want to?" Hanna smiled knowing he had set this up for her.

"That's even better," Caleb said conveniently pulling up to a stop at a red light and leaning over to kiss her real quick.

"Good because I'm so tired of trying to pretend I don't care. Can we just go back to the way things were please?" Hanna smiled happily as the continued their trip home.

"Anything you want Princess," he said letting the ride fall into a comfortable silence, except for the music blaring from the radio.

They arrived home after her parents. The adults were already sitting around the dining room table with a bottle of wine when they walked inside. They were in for an uncomfortable conversation. They could tell because Kate was waiting for them wearing that smug grin that made her feel so much better than Hanna. Hanna wanted to slap that stupid smirk off the bitch's face. And she probably would've too if Caleb hadn't been holding her hand proudly.

"Kate, Caleb, I don't see any reason that either one of you needs to be here for this. Why don't you two go out to a movie or something," Isabel suggested trying to get her daughter out of the mess that was unfolding in front of them.

"Sure Mom," Kate said jumping up to pull Caleb out the door. The fact that he and Hanna had a thing only made her want him more.

"Actually I kinda want Caleb here," Hanna said when Caleb refused to leave with the annoying step-sister who was literally pulling on him.

"I don't mind," he offered staying put and smiling when Kate let go of him rather displeased that she had been rejected for her step sister of all people.

"Ok…Hanna…what happened? Is this another cry for attention? Accusing Ian of killing that girl and then trying to kill another, it just isn't right. There's no reason for you to say things like that. I should've been around more…maybe it's my fault. But you need help. And now this boy?" Mr. Marin continued as if Caleb wasn't there.

"Dad! It's not like that! Ian actually tried to kill Spencer. I heard it all! And don't even think that Caleb is just another cry for attention. I get it I was stupid for shoplifting and crashing Sean's car wasn't that smart either and I know you think every stupid thing I do is a cry for attention. But don't say that dating Caleb is in the same category because it's not a mistake!" Hanna screeched tears running down her face.

"I didn't say that honey," Mr. Marin said with a sigh as Kate stood in the background looking down at Hanna and letting out a small laugh.

"You get the hell out of here! You have no right to judge me!" Hanna snapped at Kate, who played the innocent act and got away with it.

"Hanna…maybe involving you in this conversation wasn't a good idea. Why don't you and Caleb go up to your rooms," Mrs. Marin said realized shit was about to hit the fan and she just wanted to protect her daughter as much as possible. The two teens grabbed hands and ran upstairs away from the heated argument as fast as the could.

"Hold up. You're sending them both upstairs? You saw what they did at the restaurant. You're practically ok-ing them to go fuck! Is that what you want? I want that boy out of here right now. He has no right in this matter," Mr. Marin exclaimed pointed towards the door.

"He doesn't have anywhere else to go Tom," Ashley said calmly.

"What do you mean, good Lord Ashley have you gone insane! You're letting our daughter's boyfriend live with you!" Tom raged furiously.

"He doesn't have anywhere else to go," Mrs. Marin repeated just as calmly as before.

"I'm going to court to get full custody. I will not let my daughter live with her boyfriend. We're leaving. I need a drink a lot stronger than wine," Mr. Marin said exasperated as he walked to the door and slammed it behind him, leaving Mrs. Marin to fall onto the couch in sobs.


	39. Chapter 39

**Sorry if Hanna's dad, Kate or Isabel are out of character. I didn't read the books and there's not a lot to go on based on the show alone. You still need to learn to be less spoiled because in a few weeks I'm having some major surgery and therefore won't be updating a lot. Right now, my goal is to get up a chapter a day and any other chapters I get done will wait. That way I can save up for when I don't feel like writing. Anyway here's another chapter. Enjoy!**

"He's just been waiting for my mom to screw up. He doesn't care about me. He's just glad my mom finally screwed up so bad he can say he would be the better parent, so he can blame me being so screwed up on her," Hanna cried into Caleb's arms while they sat on her bed.

"Hey…you're not so screwed up. And look, you've got two parents fighting over you. Obviously you're something special. No one has ever fought over me like that. You have two parents who love you and friends who would do anything for you. I've never had anything like that," Caleb said as she rested her head on his shoulder. At least she had him to comfort her, he felt so bad for Mrs. Marin crying alone over a bottle of wine downstairs but he couldn't go comfort her.

"Ha they're not fighting over me. They're fighting over who's better," Hanna laughed out dryly.

"You can't honestly believe that," Caleb said pulling away to convince Hanna.

"Tonight was a disaster," Hanna said continuing her attempts to smile for Caleb's sake.

"Not a totally disaster now I can do this whenever I want," he argued pulling her close and attempting to kiss her.

"Now Kate thinks I'm crazier than before and she's gonna convince my dad to lock me up in some crazy house if he gets custody," she continued as she pulled out of Caleb's arms, rejecting his kisses and comfort.

"You're not crazy," he said carefully lifting her face and wiping the pads of his thumbs under each of her eyes trying to wipe away the tears.

"Just a few hours ago you were saying how messed up I am," Hanna glared as she turned her face away from him sharply.

"If it'll make you happy, I promise not to bring it up as long as you actually eat and I don't catch you making yourself throw up," Caleb said pushing the hair out of her face so she would look at him.

"Oh really, so you care now?" Hanna mocked as she returned her gaze to him in order to glare at him harshly.

"Do look at me like that. You know I care," he responded with all seriousness.

"Mhmmm," she nodded sarcastically doubting his words. But Caleb realized her doubts and attacked her lips passionately with his own. Caught up in the moment, they continued until the sound of a buzzing phone interrupted them. Reluctant to pull away, Hanna reached for her phone and pulled it up behind Caleb's ear so she could see the screen. One. New. Text. Shit.

"Believe me now?" Caleb said pulling away to let Hanna breath because she was breathing weird now and probably needed a break. But their fiery make out wasn't the reason she was having trouble breathing.

"How cute. You two are finally back together. Don't fuck it up this time. He's H-O-T and if you don't seal the deal with him I might just have to pull a Spencer. –A"

"Huh? Oh…not yet. But I think you could convince me," she said tossing her phone back on the bed somewhere to be located and dealt with later. For now she just wanted to enjoy the fact that Caleb was hers again.

"Now where were we?" Caleb questioned pushing her back onto the bed to continue their actions. God he missed this-he missed her.

"Hey…stop…that tickles!" Hanna giggled as Caleb began kisses down her neck. He paused at the dress…there was no way to just remove part of it. She would have to take the whole thing off to give him any more access, but that would run the risk of putting the, further into a situation that once started couldn't be stopped. She seemed to be reading his mind because she rolled over giving him control of the zipper. Apparently a long dress zipper was a difficultly for Caleb but after a few minutes of trying, he finally got Hanna out of her dress. He took a moment to stare at the amazingly sexy blonde bombshell before him, wearing nothing but lingerie and black high heels. But sadly his moment was interrupted by the buzzing of a phone.

"Ignore it," Caleb growled pushing Hanna back onto the bed to continue their actions. At first she did, but it kept ringing and ringing and ruining their moment.

"I should get that," Hanna groaned pulling out of Caleb's grip and reaching for her phone.

"Hello?" she answered forcing her voice to sound as if she hadn't just been rolling around in her bed with Caleb.

"Hanna…I need to talk to someone…can you come over tonight?" Aria cried on the other line.

"Yeah…uhm...sure. I'll be right over," she said her voice turning concerned. Caleb realized this and was about to question it but she shushed him quickly.

"Thanks," Aria said weakly with a sniff before hanging up.

"It's Aria, I gotta go," Hanna said motioning to her phone with a sad face, but getting up to pull on some clothes.

"Oh come on Princess, we've got a lot of missed time to make up for," Caleb said pulling her phone out of Hanna's clenched hand and putting it in his pocket.

"We can make up for it later, when I get home," Hanna smiled pushing Caleb's hair out of his face and giving him a peck goodbye, "That better baby?"

"Now Hun, I'm not the nickname type…I'm not your baby," he smiled taking advantage of what Hanna had meant to be a quick goodbye kiss.

"That doesn't seem fair," Hanna laughed as he pulled her back down to the bed.

"Well love's never fair," Caleb said giving her one last good kiss before releasing her.

"When I get back, we can finish what we started. Now give me back my phone," Hanna said placing her open palm in front of his face.

"Why don't you take it for yourself, babe," Caleb growled playfully into her ear, trying vainly to keep her with him on her bed.

"Oh I will," Hanna said sticking her hand straight into Caleb's front pocket and retrieving her phone.

"You know we could just stay right here…" Caleb said shocked by her action but turned on nonetheless.

"Bye Honey," Hanna added just to taunt him, leaving him behind before he realized what happened.


	40. Chapter 40

**Sorry. Yesterday was hell and I couldn't find time to write. Anyway, here's an update. It's one super long chapter to make up for neglecting to update yesterday. Enjoy ! **

"Ok Aria, this better be important. I was in the middle of something," Hanna said smiling as she thought of what she and Caleb would be doing if she was still at home. Ah yes, it would be so nice. Slinging her purse down, she looked at Aria.

"Sorry," Aria squeaked. Hanna felt guilt rushing in, taking the place of the happy thoughts she had had moments ago.

"No no. I'm sorry. I was just…me and Caleb got back together…but it can wait. What's wrong?" Hanna said taking Aria's hands and pulling her to the bed.

"Emily's all packed," Aria said sadly letting herself fall back on the bed.

"I'm not letting that happen and I doubt A will either," Hanna retorted trying to get Aria to smile.

"Yeah…I guess," the brunette girl responded distantly.

"Ok what's really wrong? That's not the 'my best friend is moving away' look. You're thinking about something," the blonde retorted knowingly.

"We're all falling apart because of A's stupid games. She's trying to destroy us and its working," Aria said with a sigh. She probably would've been crying but it seemed her tear ducts were all dried up after hours of crying. Hanna could tell by her red eyes and splotchy cheeks she had been crying long before she called.

"It is not working," Hanna countered trying not to be too harsh.

"Except it is. She's made it so Spencer is pretty much on house arrest. I wouldn't be surprised if she has something to do with Emily leaving. And you're going back to Sean and them," Emily said sadly but there was something under her words she didn't want to admit. Hanna read right through her though.

"One, Spencer may be on house arrest right now but that doesn't mean she's ditching us. Two, I pretty sure the military is immune to A's threats and Emily is not leaving yet. Three, I am not going to ditch you for Sean. Besides I'm pretty sure something went down Friday that has me banned from the popular parties now," Hanna groaned as she thought back on her fight with Sean, she hadn't been on Facebook since the incident and so she still hadn't been able to view the damage.

"You still have Caleb," Aria reasoned.

"So…you have Fitz," Hanna countered.

"No…I don't…we got in a fight…over something insanely stupid," Aria said and although she could've phrased it differently, it was pretty much the truth.

"Well do you want to talk about it?" Hanna offered, knowing it was not a good idea to press for answers if Aria didn't want to talk about it.

"I guess…" Aria started after a thick sigh, "I made a mistake. I was being so stupid. Ezra gave up teaching at Rosewood so we could be together. But he's teaching at Hollis with his ex-fiancée, and he didn't tell me. I got mad and I broke up with him but I didn't want to."

"Aww…sweetie," Hanna cooed as she rubbed Aria's back in comforting circles.

"It's just everyone is leaving and…" Aria trailed off in sobs. It didn't take a genius to realize what she was talking about. Hanna pulled her into a hug.

"We're not leaving. I know it must be hard for you to lose Fitz but you'll get over him and move on. Everything will be better. I promise," Hanna offered hoping to ease some of her friend's pain. She knew this must have been hard for Aria. Her life was either with the girls or with Fitz; she didn't exactly have another group of friends. At least she had the popular group and Emily had the jocks. Aria and Spencer were pretty much limited on their friends outside their small group. Now it seemed they were all falling apart.

"I just…I don't know what to do. Just before we broke up, when we found out he wasn't my teacher anymore we thought it would be ok so we did it. And now I'm terrified A knows and will use it against me like she did you," Aria cried as Hanna continued desperately to comfort her. Sure she didn't approve…wasn't what they did illegal…but her friend was hurting and in need of serious cheering up.

"Hold on," Hanna said as she reached for her phone and looked at the screen, "Another text."

"Hanna. Come home now. –Mom"

"A?" Aria grumbled obviously still hurting.

"No. My mom. I gotta go. But if you need me just call ok?" Hanna said giving her friend a quick hug before gathering her things and heading home.

Hanna got home to a dark house. She assumed everyone was already asleep and crept in quietly. She just wanted to go upstairs and fall back into Caleb's arms and sleep forever but she knew that wouldn't work. Her mom would probably be going to church in the morning and dragging her along. It was times like these when Mrs. Marin actually cared about her appearance in the weekly religious services. Hanna knew what was next. So when she walked into the kitchen to get a drink of something (anything…maybe even a sip of that wine they had out earlier) before bed and saw the note, the words on the paper didn't surprise her. This was her mother's dirty habit like she had her own.

"Hanna, I went out for a few drinks with a friend. Not sure when I'll be back. xoxo Mom."

"Great job Mom. Real great," Hanna mumbled to herself, not surprised in any way but still hurt. She would always hope not to come home and find such notes after run-ins with her dad even though she should know better by now. As she pulled out her now buzzing phone she thought of what it might be like if her family was normal…but then again if her family was normal she probably wouldn't be dating Caleb.

"Be careful of whose bed you go crawling into Goldilocks, sometimes it's not the right fit. Sean was too hard, Lucas was too soft, but Caleb is just right. What happens when they all come home? –A"

"I'm so fucking sick of all the drama!" Hanna exclaimed as she tossed her phone back into her purse and took a swig from the wine bottle. A would not make her question her relationship with Caleb again. Not this time. No. It would all work out for them now.

"Hey," a voice said from behind her that made her jump, "I didn't think you'd be back tonight. I would've waited up for you."

"Caleb you scared me! Don't do that!" she laughed as he pulled her into his arms.

"Sorry Princess won't happen again. So where were we?" Caleb said pressing Hanna against the counter.

It was probably a little rougher than he planned but it got his point across. She pressed her lips against his pouting just a little as his nibbled her lips, tugging on it with his teeth. Her lips parted barely but enough for him to realized they had, and he slid his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid under her t-shirt to where the lingerie still remained. He traced the boning wishing for once that she didn't have it on. Her fingers tugged at the hem of his t-shirt before pulling her face far enough away to remove the garment from his body.

"Let's take this up to my room," Hanna purred as the kissing grew deeper and the roaming hands became rougher and needier.

"I don't know if I want to wait that long," Caleb laughed as he pulled Hanna's t-shirt cover-up off her body. Now if only she would let him remove that other thing…what was it called? It wasn't a bra but it did the job. Whatever it was he had his hands on it looking for a clasp or zipper or anything that would ease its removal (so he wouldn't have to rip it because at this time he was seconds away from just ripping that thing off her).

"Come on," Hanna giggled as they pushed their way upstairs, banging into walls and leaving a pathway of clothes in their wake.

"God I've missed you," Caleb stated as they finally reached Hanna's bed, wrestling each other for the position on top.

"I missed you too. Don't go anywhere…ever again," Hanna smiled as Caleb won the wrestling war and pushed her hair out of her face so he could return his attention to the beautiful blonde's face. He would've said something but that would've made the moment too cliché and he wasn't about to ruin their perfect moment by turning it into some cheesy chick flick. She didn't need him to say anything anyway. She had slipped out of his arms earlier but she was not getting away now.

"We should go clean up," Hanna yawned. She had just woken up in Caleb's arms and she loved it but she didn't love the idea that there was a trail leading to them. After all they were laying on her bed covered by nothing but her sheets…it wouldn't be too hard for her mom to walk in and realize what they had done. And after the earlier events, her mom knowing was the second to last thing she needed. The last thing she needed was for A to find out and use it against her…again.

"Ugh…fine," Caleb groaned as Hanna pulled him up and out of her bed. They pulled on enough clothes to keep them focused and went downstairs to survey the damage. They had been in far too much of a hurry to care earlier.

"Oh my God…if my mom sees this…" Hanna said as she stared wide-eyed at their tornado destruction path. The bottle of wine was shattered on the floor along with a vase from some great aunt that meant a lot to her mom. Her clothes were everywhere, and not just the outer layer, the underwear set was all over the room too. His t-shirt was hanging from the hanging light in the kitchen. It looked like a laundry mat had exploded. Then the door swung open and her eyes got even wider.

"Looks like we're too late," Mrs. Marin said as she stumbled inside with her own date for the night.


	41. Chapter 41

**Ok here's another chapter. It's a little short but whatever. Don't get too worried. **

"Mom…" Hanna stuttered at a loss for words. She wanted to say something but at the same time she was afraid her words would betray her and be even more incriminating evidence of what they had done.

"I'm gonna go," Mrs. Marin's guest said, voicing his own thoughts for the first time. Hanna recognized that voice immediately and forced herself not to glare at him.

"Ok…bye Darren. I'll call you?" Ashley questioned kissing him carefully as Hanna looked on in horror. How could her mother go back to dating him? Especially after the whole stealing money out of a random old lady's bank box thing? Darren Wilden was a detective. Finding out things like that was what he did for a living. They would be caught and put in jail, no doubt.

"Yeah…sure," Darren said as he turned around and walked out of the house. Hanna let out a sigh of relief and a small smile traced her lips but she couldn't be too open of her hatred for the man. Besides, now was not the time to be happy. She was about to have a serious discussion with her drunk mother. This could only go so well.

"Now you two," Mrs. Marin began as she struggled to stay standing.

"Mom…you're drunk. Don't do this right now. Please. Wait until tomorrow morning," Hanna begged seeing an opportunity to reason with her mom. Hopefully her mom would see the logic and opt to continue this conversation when she wasn't totally trashed and could think clearly.

"No…we talk now. You texted me to come home so I did. And I find this," Mrs. Marin continued with over-exaggerated expressions to show her displeasure with the mess that surrounded them.

"I didn't send any text," Hanna questioned despite the fact she knew who had sent the text.

"But you did. Here see for yourself," Mrs. Marin said searching for her phone before pulling it out for her daughter.

"Can you come home? We need to talk."

The number and the caller ID matched her own but she had no memory of sending the text or any reason why she might have decided to text her mother while she was laying naked in Caleb's arms…well there would never be a reason for that.

"Mom, I didn't send this," Hanna said alarmed as she began searching for her own phone. She left her phone in her purse on the counter. She thought it would've been ok in her own house. But breaking and entering hadn't stopped A before and she was stupid to think being inside her home made her safe.

"Han, you better look at this," Caleb said startled as he held out his own phone, an open text covering the screen.

"Careful Lover Boy. I have Princess's phone now and it won't take much to ruin both of your lives. –A"

Hanna stared at Caleb with fear in her wide eyes. A had broken into her house again and taken her phone. From there, A could easily get on her Facebook and edit things or text the girls pretending to be her or look through all her texts. A could seriously screw things up beyond repair. And as much as she wanted Caleb to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be ok, she knew that if he did her mom would be even madder.

"I want him out of the house. When I wake up, it better be as if he was never here. I don't care where he goes but he is leaving this house tonight. Be thankful, if your father saw this he would've dragged your ass to court by now. God I hate Tom," Mrs. Marin exclaimed as she turned her full attention to making it up the stairs and into her room.

"You can't leave," Hanna said turning to Caleb once her mom left. Her eyes were filling with tears quickly and she was moments away from losing control of her emotions. She hated that Caleb made her feel like losing control was ok. It was never ok, even with him. She hated him for it, but she was also a little bit glad someone could see through her mask of lies.

"I'm not leaving just yet. But I'll be gone by the time your mom wakes up. You have enough to deal with," Caleb said pulling her into a hug because she was crying now. He knew she would hate the fact but it was a fact they both knew and he had to admit it: he couldn't stay there anymore. It wasn't like he was leaving her. He was just leaving her house.

"What can I do to make you stay?" Hanna asked seriously as she wiped away the few tears that had slipped out and were rolling over her cheeks. She would do anything to make him stay no matter what it was.

"I don't think that's a question for me. Ask your mom and see what she says," Caleb said before he realized that probably wasn't the best thing to tell Hanna. Now she would be determined to convince her mom to let him stay.

"I'll talk to her in the morning when she isn't drunk. I need you here with me," Hanna said sadly as she let Caleb pull her into his lap on the couch.

"She's not gonna like it Han," he responded as he played with her curled hair, bouncing a ringlet loose.

"But where are you gonna go? It's too cold to be homeless now," Hanna responded snuggling closer to Caleb.

"Lucas said if it didn't work out here I could crash with him until I could figure something out," he answered with a sigh. He barely knew Lucas and didn't really want to live with him but he didn't have many options.

"We have one more night together," Hanna smiled pulling him up the stairs.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Caleb responded. As much as he wanted to, now was not the time.

"Hanna! I hear you! I want that boy out of my house now!" Mrs. Marin called grouchily from her room as the two got closer to the top of the stairs.

"Come on. I'll treat to a hotel," Hanna said reluctantly dragging Caleb back downstairs.

"I can't let you do that. I'll be fine at the train station or something. You just stay here," he responded kissing her lightly before going to pack.

"Look if we have one more night together then we are going to be together," Hanna said as she stood in his doorway moments later with her own bags.

"No Hanna. You're staying inside," Caleb warned firmly. There was no way he would let her freeze just to be with him.

"That's what this is for. Technically I'll still be inside and not out in the cold," Hanna reasoned as she showed him what was in the second bag: a tent.


	42. Chapter 42

**So…here's another chapter. I've decided updating daily is a bit much…so I'll update when I can and this week I've been so sick that updating wasn't really even a thought. It's a bit shorter but I'll add another chapter up tonight or first thing tomorrow to make up for that. Also…I'm stuck…any plot ideas I can try to use here would be awesome! Just send me a quick message…otherwise this story is going to get really old because right now there's not much of a plot.**

"Where are you going to go?" Hanna asked as she laid in Caleb's arms. The tent was so cold…she should've known better than to think camping in December would be ok. At least she had Caleb to snuggle against to keep her warm.

"I don't really know yet. I'll figure something out," Caleb said pulling her closer. He had to figure something out soon. Mrs. Marin would be waking up any minute and want her daughter back within the next few hours. Sure Lucas had said he was welcome to stay there but he was just saying that. He probably didn't mean it. And he sure as hell didn't have money for another ticket anywhere. Maybe the school had forgotten by now and he could crash there. He honestly had no idea what he was going to do but he wouldn't let Hanna panic over it.

"It'll be morning soon," Hanna said quietly knowing what it would mean. It would mean the end of their perfect night in the woods, undisturbed by anyone (even A). It would mean having to go home. It would mean Caleb becoming homeless again.

"I know. And you're going home today. I'll go talk to Lucas or something. I figure it out," Caleb said kissing her neck and trying to make her forget about the conversation that needed to be had.

"What if you can't…?" Hanna stammered afraid of asking the question she didn't want to hear the answer to.

"Don't go there. Just trust me, ill figure something out. You should get dressed and get home before your mom finds out," Caleb said pulling away from her.

"I don't wanna go. It's so nice right here," Hanna said trying to burrow her way back to her previously comfortable and warm resting place on Caleb's chest. She really didn't want to get out of their sleeping bag. She would freeze the second she pulled away from him.

"Hanna," Caleb warned though he let her get closer, he was cold when they separated too.

"Don't make me go back alone. Please," Hanna begged as she looked up at him. He laughed when he really saw her for the first time that morning. They had been talking in the darkness of the tent but now there was enough light to see her for the way she really looks in the morning. Make-up free and flattened curls messed up in awful bed-head may have seemed unattractive but it made her seem real. She wasn't trying to be perfect because it was just him. He took it as a compliment that she was passed that.

"Fine. Get dressed. We'll go back but if your mom tells me to leave I'm leaving. I don't want to get you in more trouble," Caleb said rather reluctantly as he pulled out of the sleeping bag to pull on some clothes to go back to the Marin house.

"Thank you," Hanna smiled; happy she had gotten her way, as she stood on her toes to give him a light peck.

"You're lucky that sad face works on me," Caleb said returning both the smile and kiss, but his wasn't quite so light.

"I think we've done that enough for now," Hanna giggled as she found herself pinned under Caleb on the cold hard ground. But her answer didn't stop him as he continued to lay kisses down her neck and on her chest and over every inch of bare skin he could graze with his lips.

"What was that?" Hanna said in response to a rustling noise just outside their tent. Caleb snapped back, he must've heard it too.

"Probably an animal or something," he said strongly but the tone of his voice let his doubts show through. He wasn't scared…not at all…but he was uncomfortable. That was a lot of noise for some little woodland creature.

"Yeah…?" Hanna responded picking up on his doubts.

"Just do us both a favor and stay inside the tent," Caleb groaned knowing she wouldn't let him have the heroic moment. He pulled away and got ready to step out of the tent, into the cold early morning.

"Yeah right," Hanna called after him as she too stood up and pulled on enough layers to keep from herself freezing.

"It's probably nothing don't worry about it," Caleb said as he stepped out of the tent followed closely by Hanna who was clinging to his arm...for warmth not protection, she's fearless she reminded herself. They wandered around in silence looking for any hint of something strange. Soon enough, they couldn't even see their tent. She was getting tired and rested her head on Caleb's upper arm as he led them around. Ok maybe clinging onto him was part for protection she admitted when a small buzzing noise sent her into Caleb's arms. She realized how silly it seemed but she was scared of text messages now. Besides who would be texting him so early?

"Great it's that A bitch again," Caleb groaned shoving the phone into Hanna's palm. She knew before he said anything she wouldn't like the message on the lit up screen. Who else would text him now.

"Bambi isn't the only thing in these woods. Not the best place to run away for some secret sex unless you never want to be seen again. Trust me on this one. –A"

"How the hell did they know?" Hanna responded reading the message again. It seemed like a threat.

"I don't know. That creep keeps watching us though. Let's just get out of here," Caleb said taking Hanna's hand and leading her back to their camp ground.

"Oh my God," Hanna exclaimed in a whisper when they returned within viewing distance of their tent. There was someone there. She pulled closer to Caleb, now there was no reason besides protection, and he tensed up. His muscles got tight as he slid in front of her, instinct he supposed, protect the woman you love. He had seen enough movies to know that in this situation, the big strong guy steps in front of the woman and children, risking his life for theirs. Now usually in these movies there was no real risk because the good guy always wins but here there was real danger.


	43. Chapter 43

**Ok I promised another chapter quick (sorry I got a bit distracted) but here it is. Also…since it's Easter weekend I will be very busy and can't promise any updates until Monday (maybe even Tuesday). Sorry about that but enjoy this chapter. (Again, any plot ideas should be pm-ed to me ASAP…the sooner I get an idea, the sooner I find the inspiration to get lots of updates up!)**

He knew what he was doing was beyond cliché but he also knew Hanna loved it. So he stood in front of her as they approached their camp. They watched intently as the person looked around. With each movement the individual made, Caleb reached behind him to assure Hanna it was ok and to make sure she was still there. Finally they got close enough to study the person and assess the situation. This person standing at their tent wasn't too big. Caleb could probably take them, or at least he thought he could…yeah he could definitely take whoever it was down. It was hard to tell much about the person because they had their back turned and a giant black hoodie on but they didn't pose too much of a threat, unless they had a gun or something. The two approached their tent carefully and slowly trying not to alert the mysterious person of their presence. As they got closer, more details of who it could be became clearly. Hanna knew who it was the second she caught a glimpse of the shoes.

"Mona?" Hanna called when she looked up at the rest of the body and confirmed her suspicions.

"Hanna-kins!" Mona cried out as she spun around in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Caleb questioned, his hatred for the obnoxious brunette very evident in his tone and facial expression.

"Did my mom send you to drag me home?" Hanna questioned aggressively. She still hadn't totally forgiven Mona for the letter incident. She hated that they had been interrupted for this.

"Uh…yeah…she was really drunk when she called so she probably won't remember it but she's really worried about you Han," Mona said quickly and nervously. Caleb's glare wasn't helping her to be any more comfortable in the situation.

"How did you even find us?" Caleb questioned, not even trying to hide the harshness in his voice.

"I…uhm…Hanna told me once that she came out here with her dad to go camping. So I thought…and then I saw her car and knew she had to be here somewhere," Mona stuttered. She was cracking under Caleb's cold stare but Hanna wasn't going to step in and call him off.

"Well then…you can just go back and tell her I'm not leaving him," Hanna responded shortly.

"Oh come on Han, he isn't worth it. You'll freeze to death out here. Just let him go back to that other girl," Mona whined trying to grab her friend's arm. But Hanna pulled away, a confused look on her face.

"How do you know about Grace?" Caleb questioned, he knew by the look on Hanna's face that she hadn't said anything.

"Hanna told me," Mona chirped afraid of Caleb's sharp voice. It was almost as if he was a guard dog barking at a stranger. What was with Hanna and dogs? Lucas was the small loveable puppy, Sean was the giant drooling messy dog, and here Caleb was the big protective beast trained by cruelty.

"No I didn't," Hanna countered as Caleb pulled her back to him.

"Yeah you did…at that party. You were so drunk. I'm not surprised you don't remember," Mona explained stepping closer to the couple.

"Ok…but like I said, I'm staying here with him," Hanna said slowly, very confused by Mona's actions.

"Fine fine. But if your mom asks I never found you. I'll keep this secret for you," Mona said before turning to leave.

"Let's go back into town," Hanna said as she began to pack her things.

"You ok?" Caleb asked her once the car was packed. She was sitting in the passenger seat with the door open pale and staring at nothing.

"Hm…yeah…" Hanna muttered though she felt odd, she couldn't say what it was but something about this whole situation was very wrong.

"Let's go get some breakfast. You're probably just hungry," Caleb said as he began their drive back into town.

"I want you to meet someone," he said pulling her into the café just out of town.

"Caleb!" a girl called as she waved them over to her table.

"Hanna this is Grace," Caleb explained as the girl stood up to hug him tightly. Hanna looked her up and down then decided she hated the girl instantly.

"Caleb, you promised," Hanna warned as she glared at him, afraid this might be some sort of intervention.

"Hanna, be nice. She's a good person and I think you'll really like her. Just give her a chance," Caleb pleaded with big sad eyes.

"Fine, for you," Hanna said earning a quick peck from Caleb but deflecting it away from her lips, turning her face and pressing a polished bright pink nail to her cheek.

They remained relatively quiet for a long time. No one wanted to bring up the reason they had gathered together. The only words exchanged were casual conversation as if they were strangers in an elevator discussing the weather. Caleb and Grace continued deeper conversation and as much as they tried, Hanna wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to go home and take a nice hot shower and crawl back into bed so she could sleep.

"So…" Grace offered hoping Hanna would have something to say.

"What did Caleb tell you?" Hanna asked sharply.

"Be nice," Caleb whispered to Hanna who honestly couldn't care less.

"He said he needs somewhere to go," Grace said, her voice dripping with hints that should've warned Hanna.

"So…?" Hanna said questioning why that was what she had to say.

"So she offered to take me back into her home, Hanna," Caleb said as Hanna spun to face him with shock all over her face.

"No," Hanna said simply as she stared him down hoping he would be the first to break. Her hair flapped about and she shook her head fiercely demonstrating her strong disapproval of her boyfriend moving in with some girl who looked like she had just come off the set off some hot teen show where she played the leading blonde bombshell.

"Look, South Carolina isn't that far away," Caleb reasoned hoping to talk her down from the rage that was quickly filling her entire body. He reached out and grabbed her hand hoping the contact might sooth her a little.

"Ha…yeah…twelve hours isn't far away," Hanna mocked as she fought the urge to hit him. She snapped her hand back from his grasp still struggling not to cause a scene.

"Better than Seattle," Caleb interrupted getting frustrated. Sure he wanted to stay here but that wasn't exactly an option. At least with Grace he wouldn't have to worry about becoming homeless.

"Excuse me," Hanna said bitterly as she placed her napkin over her plate and pushed herself from the table. She felt sick. She walked to the bathroom quickly, she didn't want to hear Caleb's excuse her behavior or give him the chance to stop her. Why should he pay attention to her anyway? He was moving back in with that skinny bitch that made her feel sick to her stomach. He was probably sitting at the table flirting with her now. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep from releasing the bile she could feel building up.

"Hanna?" she heard her name called as she retched into the porcelain bowl.


	44. Chapter 44

**I know I said I probably wouldn't get a chapter up anytime soon but well I had time to write on my way home so the first chance I got, I hopped on the computer and got this posted. Happy Easter! Enjoy!**

"What do you want?" Hanna groaned as she peeled herself from the toilet and swung the door open.

"I want to talk to you," Grace said dropping the voice laced with sugar she had used before.

"Oh really. Why do you give a damn? You're just happy to have Caleb back in your house. I know what it's like," Hanna exclaimed pushing the other blonde away from her.

"Oh shut up!" Grace snapped, "I'm trying so damn hard to be nice to you because Caleb loves you and all you do is treat me like shit. Sorry for trying to be friends."

"Yeah right like we could be friends," Hanna laughed to herself as Grace left the bathroom.

"Oh and by the way, my problem almost killed Caleb, he can't go through this again," Grace said returning to motion towards the toilet bowl.

"It's not like that," Hanna argued. If Grace told Caleb what she had been doing he would be gone back to Mississippi before she could say anything.

"Sure it's not," Grace called as she went back to the table leaving Hanna to herself to finish up and maybe cry a little on her own.

"She ok?" Caleb asked very concerned when Grace returned to the table without Hanna.

"Why does she hate me so much?" Grace blurted out what she was thinking instead of answering his question.

"Huh? Oh she won't hate you forever. It's jealously. Just give her time. She'll realize there's nothing between us and come around," Caleb explained to the very hurt blonde sitting across from him.

"You didn't tell her about it did you...?" Grace trailed off not wanting to mention what they had agreed was an un-mentionable topic.

"No. There's no need. It was one time because your idiot friend got us drunk. It meant nothing," Caleb explained after choking on his drink.

"Good….it really meant nothing?" Grace asked quietly looking down at her lap.

"Compared to what I have with her everything else is nothing. But don't tell anyone I said that," Caleb said quickly covering his tracks.

"Aww! You've gone soft for her!" Grace laughed.

"Maybe just a little but if you tell anyone I still know exactly how to get you back," he said joining in the laughter.

"I swear if you take me out in the sailboat while I'm sleeping again, I'll bleach your hair…or better yet bleach and cut it!" she said through her laughs that had slowed to small giggles.

"Come on that was funny!" he retorted as his laughs slowed as well.

"It was not! I rolled off into the lake!" she responded, "If you do that again…"

"I get it but that's not my only trick Princess," he chuckled in response with his signature smirk plastered to his face.

If only he hadn't called her Princess, maybe the next series of events wouldn't have happened. But then again, the smiling and laughter and her hands on his arm didn't help their situation much either. Hanna had picked the worst time possible to return to the table and Princess was what he called her.

"Don't mind me. I'm going home now. Caleb your things will be in the parking lot," Hanna fumed as she snatched her purse from the table.

"Hanna," Caleb said standing up to talk to her.

"Caleb," she mocked raising her hand to slap his cheek but lowering it when she looked at his face. She knew she couldn't hit him (even though it would sting for a minute or two, which might make her feel a tiny bit better) and turned to leave.

"Don't be like this," he whined as he tried to grab her arms but only grasping one, granted it was enough to stop her from leaving (temporarily).

"Don't bother to come home," Hanna spat as she pulled her arm back and left for her car.

"Oh shit. I screwed this one up didn't I?" Grace asked as they watched Hanna leave.

"No…it's not your fault," Caleb sighed as he hung his head. God Hanna was extremely emotional sometimes.

"You should go after her. Go on. I'll get the check," Grace said as she reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

"If I go now she'll bite off my head," he responded as he debated what to do.

"If you don't go now she'll bite off your head," she corrected waving him off as she took the check for their breakfast and mumbled some things to herself about this Hanna girl breaking Caleb like a wild horse and laughing to herself about the irony of that metaphor.

"Hanna! Wait! Please stop!" Caleb called after her. Luckily for him he was able to move fast enough to get into her car before she tore out of that parking lot.

"What's the point? Forgive, make-up sex, break-up, repeat? Maybe it's just me but I'm sick of it. I have enough drama for the rest of my life," she screamed at him as she waited for him to get out of her car.

"Ok. Then we stop the drama. We start new. Just give me a chance Han," he begged refusing to get out of the car without giving it his all.

"I don't think we can start new," Hanna retorted, calming down a bit.

"Worth a try right?" Caleb asked hoping the answer was yes, hoping that he was worth it and meant at least that much to her.

"Last try. And I mean it this time," Hanna warned looking over at the relieved face of the guy she loved. God why couldn't she just give up and move on already she asked herself as she smiled back.

"I promise it'll be different," Caleb said stretching across the console to give her a light kiss that she deflected to her cheek with the sharp turn of her jaw and bright blue nail pressed to her skin.

"Yeah well it better be for your sake," Hanna said ending the conversation and pressing her foot to the gas as her tires screeched carrying them out of the parking lot. back to her house.


	45. Chapter 45

**So here's the thing…if you want me to update I need reviews (thanks for all the ones I've gotten). I'm not going to be an annoying bitch and say I'm not reviewing until I get x reviews because then I would be a hypocrite (that just kinda bugs me). I don't care what you say you can even type a bunch of random letters if you want. I just need some sort of message to let me know people are ready for the next chapter. A perfect review would be "done update" (maybe even please) but I will also accept "sdghfjkl;" and similar messages. But my absolute favorite reviews are ones that say something more (something I can fix, something you like, something you want more of, etc.). Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to do something to let me know you are ready for the next one!**

The two were sitting out in the car for what seemed like eternity trying to work up the courage to go inside and ask for forgiveness and the chance for Caleb to stay with them. They sat in silence, a comfortable one but silence nonetheless, holding hands without even looking at each other. Then Caleb's phone beeped, roughly breaking their silence and startling them enough to be ready to go inside. A glance at the text and they were practically running inside.

"Tick-tock on the clock…and I'm waiting. You gonna do it or what? –A"

When they walked in, Mrs. Marin was waiting. She still seemed to be nursing a killer hangover and looked as if she hadn't slept much all night.

"Ugh…Han…I said I wanted him out of here," Mrs. Marin groaned when she spotted the shaggy haired boy following her daughter back into the house he had been banned from.

"Mom…we need to talk," Hanna said slowly and gently. If her mother had a headache the best thing to do was to be quiet and let her soak in the words before continuing, otherwise she would get confused and her head would hurt worse and she would not let Caleb stay.

"What have you two done now? You didn't teach him your little five finger discount game did you?" Ashley warned sitting up slowly, moving too quickly would send her spinning back down to rest her head on the couch.

"No Mom. But now that he's living on the streets he might need to know my tricks," Hanna smirked back, a trait she had picked up from the boy standing behind her holding her hand.

"Fine. I get it. You don't think I should kick him out. Come sit down. Let's talk rationally," Mrs. Marin said leaning back a bit too far and quickly regretting it as the room began to spin.

Hanna and Caleb sat on the couch at a safe distance from each other. They could still graze their fingers against each other and give reassuring touches but they weren't practically sitting on each other and they couldn't whisper gentle words into the other's ear. They didn't want to unnerve Mrs. Marin anymore than they already had. They weren't going to wrap up in each other's arms when they were trying to convince her mom that it was ok to let him stay. It might be a point against them if they couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough for a serious conversation.

"Well…start talking," Mrs. Marin prompted as she got tired of waiting for someone to speak.

"Oh I'm doing the talking?" Hanna asked startled by her mother's decision. She had been expecting her mom to lead most of the discussion. She had no case made yet or even a starting point for her argument.

"Yes. You're the one who sees flaws with my logical idea of kicking out the boy who is sleeping with my daughter," Ashley said as she sent a pointed looked towards Caleb.

"I don't know what to say," Hanna began as she looked at her mom hoping she would take lead of the conversation back.

"Try starting with what is going on between the two of you or where you two went last night," Mrs. Marin said giving the conversation back to her daughter. If she wanted her way she was going to have to fight for it. There was no way she would just give into her daughter because she batted her eyes and said 'pretty please'.

"We're…" Hanna said pausing to look at Caleb who had grabbed her hand. She felt the cool metal against her skin as Caleb pulled his hand back. She knew the small silver necklace resting in her open hand was his way of asking to be back together.

"You're…?" Ashley asked drawing out the question and waiting for a response.

"Together," Hanna said happily as she played with the silver chain, wrapping it around her fingers and letting it drop from hand to hand.

"Well I would certainly hope so. I'll make a doctor's appointment for you tomorrow. But this doesn't mean I approve of this or that I'm letting him stay here," Mrs. Marin said, adding the last part rather quickly after she realized what could be implied from her readiness to get Hanna on the pill.

"What can I say to get you to let him stay?" Hanna asked hopefully.

"There's nothing you can say, Hanna. It's not about you," Mrs. Marin said with a wave of her hand as she dismissed the topic. Her daughter hadn't made any impression otherwise so the boy was still leaving.

"Mom…I thought you would've been more accepting of him. The situation doesn't seem a little familiar?" Hanna said as if she was speaking in some sort of code with her mom. Caleb may have found out quite a few of their secrets but he didn't need to know this one too.

"Hanna…we agreed not to talk about that," Mrs. Marin warned, possibly embarrassed by the unmentionable topic that had to be veiled by carefully phrased sentences and coated words.

"Why? You were lucky. You should be thankful and understanding," Hanna countered ignoring her mother's attempts to shush her.

"I am beyond grateful and I tried to be understanding. I let him live here didn't I? I knew he was living here before the accident. I was just waiting for the two of you to tell me or ask for him to move to the guest room. I even let him come back after he hurt you. I've been understanding enough but I will not allow this. Did you two even think about possible consequences?" Mrs. Marin fumed, upset at her daughter for pushing the subject further.

"Oh we thought about the consequences! And we were careful!" Hanna yelled back, this wasn't really a conversation she wanted to have (especially at this volume) but she hoped if her mom knew they had been careful (at least most of the time) she would be more willing to let him stay.

"And if careful wasn't enough and you still ended up pregnant? Then what? Neither one of you has a job. You're both still in school. And I don't even want to think about what your father would do. Tom would probably have you taken away from me," Ashley yelled, although she lowered her voice a bit so the neighbors wouldn't hear their predicament. Neighbors gossip and that rumor was probably already going around the town. The last thing they need was for the neighbors to hear what they were arguing about.

"We thought about that too! We've thought about everything. Just trust me for once," Hanna said on the verge of tears. This was not something she wanted to talk about at all.

"Hanna…honey. It's not that easy," Mrs. Marin said as she moved to comfort her baby girl, who rejected her arms, turning to Caleb's chest instead.

"Please Mom. Don't let him be homeless for Christmas. Please. At least give him two more weeks here. That way he can finish up the semester at school. He can't possibly pass his finals if he's homeless. And it's freezing. It can be my Christmas present. Please?" Hanna begged pulling away from Caleb to look at her mother. Her eyes were big and sad and full to the brim with tears. She was trying so hard for him and he wasn't sure of what to do or say.

"He's gone by New Year's Eve. That's it," Mrs. Marin sighed as she reluctantly gave in to her daughter's request, but she couldn't have her daughter running off again.


	46. Chapter 46

**Ok here's another chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last one! And no that wasn't harsh at all…it was exactly what I wanted. Anyways…enjoy the chapter! (Also I wasn't planning on Hanna being pregnant but it could be a possible plotline…so yay or nay?) **

Once Mrs. Marin left the two alone, Hanna rested her head on Caleb's shoulder and let out a small yawn.

"You tired?" he asked wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah…I didn't sleep well last night," she smiled sleepily as she pressed against him more.

"Wanna go upstairs?" Caleb asked as he pushed the hair out of her face.

"No. We're doing things differently this time. Plus I'm way too tired," Hanna responded quickly.

"Not what I meant Princess. Thought you might like a nap," Caleb corrected as Hanna blushed furiously.

"Oh…yeah a nap would be nice," Hanna said quietly.

Caleb picked her up bridal style and carried her up the stairs. She was impressed but too tired to say much. He laid her on her bed and pulled her shoes off for her. He pulled the covers up over her small body and kissed her forehead which seemed warm. She really shouldn't have gone camping with him, now she was sick. She seemed so small and childlike as she pulled the covers around herself making sure every blanket was in the perfect position. She was half-asleep but she still wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect. It was cute. He walked towards the door but stopped when she called his name in her sleep. Must be dreaming Caleb thought to himself before he turned and shut the door.

As he walked down the stairs he braced himself for the conversation he was about to have. He knew Hanna had fought so hard to keep him around and he wanted to talk to her mom himself. He would offer anything he could to prove how much he wanted to stay.

"Mrs. Marin?" he said once he entered the kitchen, where she stood starting the prep work for dinner.

"Call me Ashley," she reminded him again. The sharp knife in her hand made him a bit on edge but he tried to be casual.

"Ashley, I don't know how to thank you," he began as he watched her slender fingers rocked the knife, chopping the carrots with such ease. The sharp blade scared him. He knew she wouldn't hurt him like that but he was still uneasy.

"I'm doing this for Hanna. Not you," she replied coldly as she focused on the swift rocking of the blade.

"I understand," Caleb said forgetting anything and everything he wanted to say.

"I won't allow you to hurt her like you have so many times now. I don't know why she keeps taking you back but she does and I can't stop her," Ashley warned, the knife speeding up in her hand and the chops getting rougher.

"I never wanted to hurt her and I'll do anything I can not to let that happen again," Caleb said finding some courage to defend his intentions.

"Well the best way of not hurting her is not putting yourself in that position. I still don't want you to stay here and unless you have somewhere else you can go, she's going to be hurt when you have to leave. Maybe it's best if you two just break up now before you do have to leave her. Don't get her hopes up that you're going to be around forever," Ashley said looking up from the cutting board to look at the boy in front of her. He was just a boy but he thought he was so grown up. He had probably seen too much in his seventeen short years to be considered innocent but to her he was still just a little boy like her little girl.

"No. I'm not just going to break up because I'll have to leave eventually. Just because I leave your house doesn't mean I have to leave town. I'll figure something out. I may not be around forever but I'll be around as long as she'll let me. I would do anything to keep from hurting her," Caleb said a bit less politely than he was aiming for. He couldn't lose control because if he did it would ruin his whole point of talking to Mrs. Marin.

"I know that you love her and you don't want to hurt her but you have already hurt her badly so many times that I can't be expected to believe you won't do it again. I'm sorry but its best for the both of you if you aren't living here. You can have a more normal relationship instead of acting like newlyweds. It's best this way," Mrs. Marin said as she returned back to the vegetables that still needed chopping. He knew what she meant by newlyweds and she would probably hold that against him forever.

"Mrs. Marin. I swear that will never happen again," Caleb said simply protesting what he assumed was her idea of him. She must've thought that he was a bad boy too mature for her daughter, that he had corrupted Hanna (and in some ways he probably had but she had also changed him). Mrs. Marin looked up from the knife in her hand to Caleb.

"And if it does? The two of you are too young for that. You break up and make up constantly. You aren't ready for that. And God forbid she did get pregnant," Mrs. Marin ranted as she studied Caleb's reactions, "You flinched at the word. You wouldn't be able to handle that. You would leave and she would be hurt again."

"You're wrong. I would not leave. I swore to Hanna that if she was pregnant I would stay by her. Even marry her if that's what she wanted. I would take the kid myself if she didn't want it," Caleb fumed then realized he had snapped, "I'm sorry I don't mean to offend you but I'm not like most guys. I grew up feeling abandoned and I know she did too. I wouldn't let her feel that way anymore and I sure as hell wouldn't let my kid go through what I did."

"You make it seem like…oh God…" Mrs. Marin said as she dropped the knife as stared open-mouthed at Caleb, "HANNA!"

"She's asleep. She doesn't need to know I talked to you. Don't wake her up please. She doesn't feel good," Caleb said before realizing that his words only made Mrs. Marin more worried.

"I swear to God if she is pregnant you will never see her ever again and don't even think for a minute you would be a part of that child's life," Mrs. Marin yelled as she stormed up the stairs with Caleb following her mental cursing himself for saying anything. Hanna would kill him.

"Wait. Please, don't wake her up. I'll tell you whatever you want to know just don't ask her about it," Caleb begged as Mrs. Marin pulled open the door to Hanna's bedroom. She was sound asleep but she still didn't look like she was feeling too good.

"Is she pregnant?" Mrs. Marin asked with all seriousness, stopping to give him a chance before she disturbed her daughter.

"No," Caleb answered quickly and strongly. He had been questioning it himself but he wasn't going to let Mrs. Marin know he wasn't certain.

"And you know this because?" Mrs. Marin continued her questioning as well as her cold glare.

"We used protection," Caleb groaned, he hated this conversation and it made it ten times worse that this woman was the mother of the girl he was sleeping with instead of his own parent.

"That doesn't always work," Mrs. Marin commented unsatisfied with his answer.

"And Plan B," Caleb added awkwardly.

"Has she taken a test?" Mrs. Marin asked ignoring the fact that there had been enough of a scare to warrant the purchase of the morning after pill.

"Yes. Negative," Caleb lied; it was the only way out of this. He knew he would have to tell Hanna before her mom did.

"Ok…I still don't want you living here. I'm going to finish dinner and if I come up and find you in her room I will kick you out today," Mrs. Marin warned, accepting of his answer for now. She didn't want to have to wake up her daughter right now so this would have to suffice.


	47. Chapter 47

**Thanks for being so patient. My entire family lives in the south and a good majority live in Alabama (where the death toll is scary high). I've spent the past few days tracking down everyone and luckily they've all been accounted for and no one is too badly injured. THANK GOD! The few down trees are nothing compared to what some many others have experienced. Enough about the news flash…let's get to the story. This chapter is short but if I can keep my internet working long enough I have another chapter ready for later.**

Caleb waited until he heard the click of Mrs. Marin's heels on the cool tile of the kitchen floor before entering Hanna's room. He walked quietly hoping that the plush carpet beneath his feet would muffle the noise and keep him from waking Hanna or alerting Mrs. Marin that he had done exactly what she told him not to do. Yeah that would get him kicked out fast.

"Han?" he whispered as he shook her gently.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled back. Caleb couldn't tell if she was talking in her sleep or didn't want to be woken up.

"Come on. Get up," he tried a little louder and a little less gently.

"Stop…please," she whined as her face scrunched up.

"Come on Sleeping Beauty," he said as he shook her again, nowhere near being able to qualify as gently.

"NO!" she screamed as her eyes snapped open.

"You ok? You were talking in your sleep," Caleb asked as he pushed the sweaty hair from her forehead, her fever was worse.

"Yeah…just a really bad dream…I guess," she replied once she was sure she was awake.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, noticing the fear that was still in her eyes.

"No. I'm used to nightmares," she said dismissively.

"Ok…well do you feel better after your nap?" he asked sensing the need to change topics; Hanna wouldn't budge on this nightmare.

"No I still feel like crap," Hanna said as Caleb pressed his hand to her forehead.

"You're burning up. I'm going to get your mom," Caleb replied pulling away and leaving the room in a hurry.

Once Caleb left, Hanna pulled out her phone. The nightmare inducing text A had left for her when she returned the phone was still covering the screen when she lit it up.

"Mommy still doesn't love your boy-toy and who could blame her. I'll make sure he doesn't live to hurt you again. –A"

"Caleb was right. Your fever is too high. You probably caught something," Mrs. Marin said as she inspected the thermometer. Although she could just call a doctor it was seven o'clock on a Sunday night so most doctor's offices were closed and reaching voicemail would not help right now.

"Mom…I'm fine," Hanna protested as she pushed away her mom's hand.

"No you're not. I'm going to pick you up some things to bring the fever down. Caleb, take care of her," Mrs. Marin said firmly as she went downstairs and out the door.

"So what did you need?" Hanna asked once she heard her mom's car pull out of the garage.

"Huh?" Caleb asked as he pulled the cover back up and around her shivering body.

"When you woke me up," Hanna explained as she tried to get comfortable.

"Oh…I needed to talk to you before your mom did. I tried talking to her but I think I screwed things up even more. I'm sorry. She brought up the possibility of you being pregnant and she said I would just leave you if you were. So I snapped and said I had told you that I wouldn't leave and I would do whatever I could. But the way I said it she knew we had must've talked about it. She ran up here to talk to you. I stopped her and told her that you weren't feeling good and she was about ready to wake you up because it only made the thought of you pregnant more real. I told her about Plan B but she still wasn't happy so I lied. I'm sorry. I hated doing it but I had to. If I didn't she would've dragged you out of bed and to the nearest drug store. I told her you already took a test and it was negative," he rambled so quickly that she missed most of what he said.

"You lied to my mom?" Hanna struggled to understand any of what he had said. He was so determined to get to stay but lying to her mom was not going to help his case.

"I didn't think it mattered. You're not pregnant so it might as well be the truth," Caleb explained, sure he felt bad about lying but it wasn't that big of a deal. He was just trying to protect them.

"But it does matter. You lied to her. What if she finds out?" Hanna asked as she stared at him. She couldn't believe this. He had tried so hard to make a good impression and blown it all.

"It's not like she's going to find out. The only way she would know I was lying is if you were…but you're not…" he said but the last part came out as more of a question than he meant to.

"I don't know. I…I guess I could be…," Hanna trailed off trying to remember the last time she had her period. Let's see…she had it a little over a month ago…it was late but it had always been iffy so being a few days late wouldn't mean anything.

"Hanna…don't…if there's not a real chance we don't have to have this conversation…" he interrupted a scared look on his face.

"I…I don't know…I mean as long as we…nothing is one-hundred percent…" Hanna said scaring herself as well.

"Do you wanna take a test?" Caleb asked slapping his head. He hated this. He was not going to be a good dad and he was sure Hanna was determined not to have kids. This could screw up everything.

"I don't know…maybe," Hanna said weakly about to cry.

"I'll go out tonight," Caleb sighed. There goes his life-and hers too-if it turned out positive.

"No…let's wait a few more days. If I haven't gotten my period by next weekend, I'll go get a test. Deal?" Hanna asked, still hoping she was just a little late. She knew bringing up her period would make Caleb drop the conversation that she didn't want to have again.

"You sure?" Caleb asked as he looked her over.

"Yeah…can you go get me something to drink please?" Hanna said using her perfectly practice puppy face.


	48. Chapter 48

**Here's another chapter for y'all. So enjoy this chapter! And in case you didn't realize I replaced the authors note with a new chapter you might want to check that out before reading this one. I wasn't planning on adding this one yet but I wanted to make sure it bumps up so y'all can see I update both this chapter and replaced the previous one with an actual chapter. (And as long as my internet is working why not update another chapter because you never know when it'll decide to be difficult.)**

Hanna grabbed her phone and typed up a message to Aria…then deleted it letter by letter…then typed it again…then repeated the whole process. She wanted to talk to someone about it and she couldn't talk to Caleb or her mom. They would both panic. Sure she thought about texting Emily but in the end she opted against including her in the reciepients line of the message…don't get her wrong she loved Emily but this wasn't exactly Emily's area of expertise. She also entertained the thought of texting Spencer but then realized she knew exactly what the response would be and decided against being told how utterly irresponsible she was.

"Here," Caleb said as he entered the room with a nice big glass of something to drink…probably iced tea. Hanna quickly shut her phone, her finger hitting 'send'.

"Thanks," Hanna smiled as she accepted the glass and took a large gulp.

"I was thinking about it…" Caleb said breaking the silence.

"Thinking about what?" Hanna asked truly confused, but when she noticed Caleb was looking at her stomach she knew what he meant, "Oh…but I don't wanna talk about that Caleb."

"Just hear me out?" he begged lifting his eyes to meet her eyes.

"Fine," she groaned as she rolled her eyes away from his.

"I was thinking what would happen if you were…pregnant. I would want to make sure I'm here for them and you. I don't want to just be your baby's dad. I want to know I'll be more than that. And if you decide to get married and have more kids I want to know I'm not just your high school mistake. I want to be their dad too. I guess I'm saying I wanna marry you…not right now…but sometime…" Caleb said staying determined and focused, because he knew the second he strayed from what he planned on saying he would never get back to what he needed to say.

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" Hanna yelled as quietly as she could. Yelling about being caught together and marriage…it would definitely stir the gossip of the town, ruining her.

"Look I know we're both still in school but if you are pregnant what makes us different from married couples having kids?" he asked, still just as determined despite the fact Hanna pretty much told him no.

"The fact we're still in school! That's what makes us different. Plus we didn't plan on having a kid," Hanna explained. Why would he even bring this up? He knew she wouldn't just marry him because he got her pregnant…right?

"I know what others think is important to you. When this child grows up and we go to his baseball games or her dance recitals do you really want to have to introduce me as your high school boyfriend who knocked you up in 11th grade, not even ex-husband?" Caleb argued. He did have a point…she hated to admit that.

"People are going to talk no matter what. And it's not just going to be because my boyfriend got me pregnant instead of my fiancé or husband. It's going to be because I'm seventeen. Besides getting married just because we're having a kid together would lead to divorce. I'd rather our child not go through that," Hanna countered hoping she would change his mind.

"Fine just think about it ok. We could be that perfect family neither one of us had," Caleb said getting ready to leave the room.

"You didn't even want an answer?" Hanna asked confused when he stopped at the door.

"Never actually asked the question Princess," he smirked before leaving her room.

Hanna pulled her laptop from her bedside table the second Caleb left the room and began researching. She searched everything from early pregnancy symptoms to giving birth. She ran through the list of early symptoms, mentally checking them off one by one. She found a week by week guide that told her how she would feel and what the baby would be doing. She figured if she was pregnant she was probably about six weeks-her first time with Caleb. She even found a site full of pregnancy stories-which she decided not to use after she read quite a few overly dramatic and graphic birth stories (seriously how many people can not know they're pregnant…sounds like a soap opera). Just as she was finishing a story about a teen mom's realistic pregnancy story (not like those TV shows), a knock on her bedroom door startled her.

"Come in!" Hanna called as she shut her laptop and put it back.

"Hey. Caleb said you weren't feeling too good," Aria said as she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey you got them?" Hanna whispered once Aria shut the door behind her.

"Yeah…I actually got two," Aria said as she pulled a paper bag out of her purse.

"Thanks," Hanna said before snatching the box and turning it over to read the instructions, "So I just pee on this then wait five minutes?"

"You want me take the other one first?" Aria sighed as Hanna nodded in response like a child who needed to be showed how to do something (but that crossed quite a few lines…she wouldn't actually be showing Hanna she just needed someone to take one with her and preferably before her).

"Ok Han, just leave it on the side of the sink when you're done," Aria said as she opened the bathroom door.

"Ok…" Hanna said nervously as she took her box with her into the bathroom. After she took the test she placed it on the sink opposite of Aria's. Then she inspected herself in the mirror. She tousled her hair and fixed her makeup, trying desperately to seem the perfect fabulous person she usually was despite the fact that she felt way less than fabulous right now.

"Hanna, you in there?" Caleb's familiar voice boomed from the other side of the door, startling her and she bumped into the sink, knocking the tests from their precarious perch on the edge.

"Uh yeah…just give me a few minutes," Hanna squeaked back as she shoved everything back into the bag from the pharmacy.

"Just wanted to make sure you're ok," Caleb responded before walking back towards the guest bedroom.

"Han?" Aria asked from the other side of the door.

"Give me a minute," Hanna called back as she did one last check to make sure she didn't look like she had been crying.

"It's been more than five minutes. Come on out," Aria whispered gently.

"They fell into the sink and I don't know which is which," Hanna said as she pulled Aria back into the bedroom.

"Well…maybe it doesn't matter. They're probably both negative," Aria said as Hanna dug through the bag for the tests.

"No…this one's positive," Hanna whispered as she shook her head.


	49. Chapter 49

**And another chapter…enjoy!**

"So…so we take another test?" Aria asked as she looked between the positive and negative tests in each of Hanna's hands.

"I don't think we need to. Who was the only one who really needed to? I mean would you being pregnant even test positive yet?" Hanna asked shaking a little at the realization.

"No but I don't want to jump to conclusions about…" Aria began explaining only to be interrupted by a voice from downstairs that made the girls jump.

"Hanna! What's Aria's car doing here? Are you out of bed?" Mrs. Marin called and she nudged the door open and kicked it shut behind her.

"I don't want to get you in trouble. I'll see you tomorrow?" Aria asked hiding the bag in Hanna's drawer for her.

"If I'm allowed to leave my room," Hanna sighed as she got back into her bed and pulled the covers over herself. She could hear her mom yelling downstairs.

"Sorry Mrs. M. I was just dropping by to check on Hanna. I'm gonna go now," Aria squeaked, afraid of Mrs. Marin in Mama Bear mode.

"Caleb! I told you to take care of her and you let her friend in?" Mrs. Marin barked.

"Sorry…I'm just going to go to my room now," Caleb said ready to get out from Mrs. Marin's glare.

"Hey Sweetie. Sorry I took so long. Feeling any better?" Mrs. Marin asked sweetly when she brought Hanna dinner balanced on a tray.

"Not really," Hanna groaned as she sat up to take a sip of her drink.

"I think you'll stay home tomorrow. I can't stay with you though. Are you going to be ok?" Mrs. Marin asked sweetly as she pushed her daughter's hair back and felt her still very warm forehead.

"I can take care of myself," Hanna responded with a typical teen eye-roll for extra emphasis.

"I know Sweetheart but I just hate leaving you home alone when you're sick," Ashley sighed as she offered Hanna her dinner.

"I really don't feel like eating. Can I just go to sleep now?" Hanna asked hoping her mom would buy it and leave her alone.

"Of course. Call me if you need anything," Mrs. Marin said after kissing Hanna goodnight.

She knew the positive test had to be hers. Aria probably knew the same thing. She had no idea why Aria would even take the second test. She probably just didn't want Hanna to have to take one alone and had been trying to be a good friend. Hanna continued to stare at the ceiling for a long time. She lost track of time somewhere between thinking of all the details and day-dreaming about this baby and her future life with Caleb and their child. Then she started crying. They were definitively sad tears she told herself. This would ruin her life and Caleb's. She heard the click of her mom's heels retreating to her room for the night and then the sound of the water running through the pipes and the creaking of the floor as someone else made their way down the hall towards her room.

"You still awake?" his voice whispered into the darkness. But she didn't respond. She was pretending to be asleep.

"Good night," he said bending down to kiss her, instead he stopped when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What's wrong Princess?" he asked rolling her to face him.

"Did you mean it? Do you really want to marry me?" she asked quietly while the tears continued to roll.

"Well that depends on your answer," he said as she rolled to the other side of the bed making space for him to lay down.

"You have to ask the question to hear my answer," she replied trying to smile.

"I don't have a ring for you," he said simply. He knew she wanted this done right and without a ring it wasn't right.

"I don't care," she lied, but she knew a high school proposal wasn't exactly going to be made with a gorgeous diamond like the one she had dreamed of.

"Marry me?" he asked pulling a ring from the small ring dish on the bedside table and holding both her hands with his, skipping all the other things that would've made it right. Without a ring there was no point in trying. He could do it right later.

"Yes," Hanna said kissing him on the cheek as he slipped the random ring onto her left hand.

"That's not fair. I believe I deserve a real kiss," Caleb said faking sadness.

"I don't…" she began to say but it didn't matter because Caleb's lips on hers cut her off. It could've easily become so much more than just a kiss. They were already laying on a bed. Her fingers were tangled in his hair. If the reason that he had asked her to marry him wasn't the only thing he could think of, it would've been hard to stop at just a kiss.

"You took a test didn't you?" he said seriously once he pulled away, "I'm not stupid."

"Yeah…Aria brought them by but there was a mix up," she said motioning to the bedside table where she had stashed the tests. Caleb pulled out the bag and handed it to her. She pulled out the positive test and showed it to him then pulled out the negative one and showed it to him as well.

"So which one's yours?" Caleb asked, hoping it would be the negative one but knowing better.

"Well that's the thing. They got mixed up but Aria's wouldn't even show up yet so I would be willing to bet this one's mine," she said nervously placing the positive one in front of him.

"Positive?" he choked out as he looked at the proof in front of him.

"Pregnant," Hanna replied, unsure how she felt about it. Was she supposed to be happy? She sure didn't think it would be right to be happy but she felt guilty for not being excited about this.

"So…this is our baby?" he said moving his hands to cup her stomach.

"Yep," Hanna sighed, her face tight while she tried to be emotionless.

"You're sure about this? It's not too late," Caleb offered his hands still on her.

"Right now I'm not sure about anything. Can we just go to sleep?" Hanna asked sadly.

"I should go back to the guest room. I don't want to be kicked out yet," Caleb said as he untangled himself and climbed out of her bed.

"My mom is going to find out sooner or later. Just stay with me please? I don't want to be alone," Hanna begged catching his arms.

"You're not going to be alone for months," Caleb joked as he debated whether or not to crawl back in bed with her.

"That's creepy. Don't say things like that. I'm not used to the whole small human growing inside me thing yet," Hanna said making a face to demonstrate her disgust at the idea of being pregnant. The word didn't bother her as much as what it meant. Some people probably thought it was cute. But all she could think of was that her body wasn't her own.

"If your mom finds me, she'll kick me out before I'm really awake," Caleb said as he looked between her and the door.

"And I'll threaten to go with you and then she'll let you stay," Hanna yawned puling Caleb back into bed with her.

"You know you have to think about the baby before you run away with me," Caleb yawned in return as he pulled the covers over them.

"I wouldn't let my fiancé be alone sleeping on a bus bench," Hanna said rolling so her back was to him.

"I'd rather be alone than you be homeless with me. If your mom kicks me out in the morning promise you'll stay here. You're already sick," Caleb retorted as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her to him.

"No. This baby is going to need their daddy and I need him too. Besides I've lost you way too many times to let you just walk away again," she said as she kissed him goodnight and got comfortable enough to fall asleep.


	50. Chapter 50

**Here's another chapter. I told myself that I would add this one once I got 200 reviews (I know I said I wouldn't be one of those people but whatever) even if it was a double update or even triple update. So here it is. The 50th chapter in honor of all 200+ reviews (because there's already been another review since I logged on). It's a little strange to start with but I hope y'all catch on quickly. Enjoy!**

Hanna opened her eyes to darkness. She blinked a couple times hoping she would come to and be able to see but to no avail. The room was still dark. She had no idea where she was or how she got there (because she certainly wasn't still in her bed at home) but she heard movement nearby and froze.

"Who's there?" she called out in the darkness hoping for any response. Her answer was a light turning on near her. She looked around in a panic. The room she was in seemed like an old abandoned surgery suite, like the creepy ones on those ghost hunting shows Caleb made her watch that one time.

"Good. You're awake," a chilling voice said from the shadows on the other side of the room. It was familiar but she couldn't say exactly who it was.

"Who are you?" she asked getting scared. She was strapped into some old style doctor's chair, reclined a bit.

"Wow…what a stupid question to waste your time with. Who do you think I am?" the voice replied still lurking in the shadows.

"…Alison…?" she questioned drawing out the simple letter with fear in her voice.

"You don't have to be afraid of me you know. I'm not like her…the girl you knew as Alison I mean…I don't want to hurt you. I do however need some answers," the voice said coolly as whoever they were came closer.

"About what?" Hanna squeaked out. A had done so many things to harm her, what now?

"About lots of things. Alison for example," the voice said from the shadows.

"What is there to know that you don't already? Ow!" Hanna groaned as a sharp feeling cut across the skin of her forearms.

"I need answers not questions," the voice snarled from the darkness.

"What…what do you want?" she said, her voice shaking as red lines of blood appeared on her arms.

"You're nowhere near as fun to play with now that you're going to be a mom. And I know you don't like that thought. I'm gonna fix that for you," the voice chirped.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked, very confused. A made no sense, she wasn't that pregnant and no one knew yet. But when she looked down she saw her stomach warp to three times its normal size and keep growing, she was wearing a hospital gown, and she was hooked up to an IV.

"Don't worry this won't take too long. That IV is full of meds to speed this up. Then you can go back to being perfect and forget all about your little baby," the voice in the dark smiled as Hanna ran her hands over her expanded belly.

"But I'm not…" Hanna trailed off as she was suddenly overtaken by pain spreading from her lower half, "What the fuck is going on?"

"Seriously? You don't know what to do? You've seen movies haven't you?" the voice groaned realizing maybe the plan wasn't going to work.

"Hey," Caleb smiled as he appeared out of nowhere. He was standing beside her and clutching her hand as she yelled out in pain.

"I…I…" Hanna stuttered as a cool gush of water ran between her legs, "Oh my God. I'm having the baby!"

"What did you think was happening?" Caleb laughed as he traced the metal ring that had appeared on her left hand. He was trying to comfort her but she just tightened up instead.

"It hurts," she whimpered after the pain subsided a bit.

"What did you expect Princess?" he laughed again. How could he be cracking jokes at a time like this? Some crazy person had them held hostage and she was about to give birth.

"In case you haven't realized, I'm in the middle of labor here and that person over there is insane…" she snapped pointing in the direction of the shadows the voice had been coming from that now was lit and empty.

"Han? You ok?" Caleb asked following her perfectly painted finger to the empty corner.

"Yeah…the pain is just probably going to my head or something," she replied focusing her attention back on giving birth.

She felt like she was in some sort of dramatic soap opera. Being held hostage by a crazy stalker who killed your best friend and going into labor…yeah…that sounded perfect for a day time soap. She would have to send that to some writers or something when she got home. Soon she was breathing the weird breaths like in the movies and panting as she squeezed Caleb's hand so tight she was surprised she hadn't heard a bone snap. But it seemed like she had been pushing for hours and made no progress. The pain hurt so bad she felt like she was being ripped in half.

"This is taking forever," the sinister voice stated as the darkness reappeared.

"You try pushing a watermelon out your ass and see how easy it is," Hanna bit back as the worst contraction yet hit her.

"Tisk tisk…and I thought you would've been more cooperative. Let's see how you hard you push when Baby Daddy's life depends on it," the voice called as a black smoke stream pulled Caleb into the darkness.

"No!" Hanna called as Caleb appeared on the edge of the shadows with a knife to his throat.

"Hanna," Caleb pleaded, fear in his eyes as the knife pressed closer and closer to his skin.

"I can't…" Hanna whimpered as she collapsed against the back of the chair.

"You have to try," Caleb called again as the tiny droplets of blood began to form at the edge of the silver blade.

"It hurts!" Hanna screamed as she pushed as hard as she could.

"I know baby I know but you have to! You practiced this so many times! I know you can do it!" Caleb begged, terrified he was about to die. He watched helplessly as Hanna screeched and pushed as hard as she could.

"Oh I give up on this…" the voice from the shadows said as the knife shot through Caleb's chest.

"Caleb stay with me. You have to live!" she pleaded.

"I'm not waiting around any longer," the voice said as a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows to remove the knife from Caleb and stab into Hanna's abdomen.

Hanna cried hysterically as the hooded figure cut into her. She cried for herself, she cried for Caleb and she cried for their baby.

"Don't worry Hannakins. You'll be with your precious Caleb soon and I'll take good care of your baby," the hooded figure said as they wrapped up her now crying baby.

Hanna tried to scream but her voice caught in her throat. The figure seemed so distorted and distant. She was losing too much blood. The figure was right. She would be joining Caleb soon.

"Hi baby. I'm your Mommy now and I'm going to take good care of you," the figure cooed to the baby as they disappeared into the dark smoke and Hanna's eyes shut.

"Hanna? Wake up," Caleb said quietly as he shook Hanna carefully.

"No…can't…" she whimpered in her sleep.

"Come on Princess time to get up," he tried again.

"Hurts…" she cried as she rolled away from him.

"Hanna?" he questioned as he shook her more. She was breathing funny and scaring him.

"Hhhmmmm…" she groaned as her face tightened up. Caleb was now determined to wake her up from her nightmare.

"Hanna…please wake up," he said shaking her with more force, he was afraid he would hurt her.

"No!" she screamed as her eyes snapped open.

"Hey, you ok? You were talking in your sleep," Caleb whispered as he pushed the sticky hair from her sweaty forehead.

"Oh Caleb," she whined as she pulled herself up into his arms, "I had the worst dream. A kidnapped me and was torturing me but you came to save me. When you showed up I went into labor and I was screaming and crying and A was laughing. But then A took our baby and killed us."

"Shh…it's ok. It was just a bad dream," he said as he rubbed her back. She was obviously terrified.

"It was awful. Like one of those creepy horror movies. She just stabbed you and then cut the baby out," Hanna continued crying as she placed her hands around her stomach. Sure it was a dream but it still scared the crap out of her. The psycho had cut into her body to take her child from her. That was enough to scar anyone for life.

"I've gotta go get ready for school before your mom finds out I spent the night in here. Are you gonna be ok?" Caleb asked moving the strands of hair that had slipped from her bun out of her face.

"Yeah. Have fun at school. Love you," she smiled kissing him on the lips (she wasn't as afraid of getting him sick now).

"Love you too. Hope you feel better," he said once he pulled away and left her room, laughing to himself about the fact that they already acted like a married couple.


	51. Chapter 51

**I know y'all said you want some girl time and other non-HALEB chapters and I promise to get around to it but I can't just drop Babygate (yes Glee reference…my roomie has taken control of me)...not yet at least but I promise things are about to change. Things are never as they seem bitches. And A has quite a few tricks up his/her sleeve. So enjoy this update before things totally change up. **

Mrs. Marin sent Caleb off to school in Hanna's car somehow totally oblivious to the fact he had spent the night in Hanna's bed. She seemed…frazzled that morning so Caleb didn't stop to question it. He just stayed out of her way while trying to get ready to go himself. He just wanted to get out to the car and on his way to school where he could think without fearing that Mrs. Marin would look him in the eye and just know. At the same time, he wanted to stall until Mrs. Marin was gone and he could go take care of Hanna. But he was shooed out the door before she left for work.

Caleb hated seeing Hanna so scared especially when he couldn't fix it. And this was certainly something he couldn't fix. He could do the best he could to make it less scary but at the end of the day, he was just as scared as Hanna. (Well not really…he let her have the rights to being more scared because after all it was her body.) They were just two teens still in school. They weren't ready to be parents. They would probably both be miserable parents. He grew up with multiple different guys playing the role of dad but they weren't all that great. The best 'mom' and 'dad' he had ever had was Grace's parents and they still had him call them Diane and Mark (even though he had softened them up and by the end of his stay with them Mom and Dad was known to slip off his tongue). Mrs. Marin was a close third (behind his aunt of course…she had given up everything until his social worker decided she wasn't healthy enough to take care of him) but he didn't really include her since she was Hanna's mom. But as far as dad figures went, it stopped at Mark. Although he knew Hanna had a good mom in her life, he also knew this was on the top of things she didn't want to happen…ever. Kids were not her thing. While she would smile at cute little kids, she would snap at annoying brats. And sooner or later every kid can be a brat when you have to take care of them every minute of every day.

"Is Hanna at school today?" Aria ambushed him when he approached the building.

"No she stayed home sick," Caleb explained as he paused to study his girlfriend's friend. Did she know about their situation? She was at the house last night. Maybe she knew something he didn't.

"Damn it," Aria muttered to herself as she scanned the parking lot for another car, he assumed because he didn't exactly know what she was doing.

"When I left she had gone back to sleep so I don't know but you could try texting her if you needed to talk to her," Caleb offered before leaving Aria behind and entering the building. He would've asked her what she knew but she was too preoccupied and if she didn't know anything then Hanna would kill him for breaking the news to her friend first.

The rest of his day was uneventful. He heard the rumors about him and Hanna but brushed them off as if they weren't true. What was going on between him and Hanna was just that, between the two of them. Making any sort of reaction to rumors would only lead to suspicion and they didn't need people being annoying right now. They had more than enough to worry about. Instead, he used the rumors that he and Hanna were hooking up to get the rich kids to trust him. By the end of the day, he was taking home eight phones for a nice profit made off of next to nothing work. After that idiot freshman refused to pay him, he started requiring down-payments, meaning he had a nice little wad of cash in his pocket. Sure hacking phones would only get him so far but with his engineering abilities he could get a real job and make some legal money. Keep his grades up (because he was honestly brilliant without trying) and he could get a scholarship…that was if there was time for college between raising a kid and working to pay for it. Ugh…he was so screwed.

Caleb came home after school to find Hanna stretched out on the couch with one hand resting on what she probably thought was already a baby bump. (Funny how she had already taken to resting her hand there like everyone does in movies and TV…he really needed to break her TV addiction and get her out in the real world some.) Her top had ridden up exposing her stomach. It was hard for him not to stare (and it wasn't just the possiblity that his son or daughter was under that hand, those sweatpants hung extremely low...but those thoughts are what got them here he reminded himself). She was sound asleep and obviously still wasn't feeling well. Her blanket had fallen to the floor and she was beginning to shiver. He picked up the blanket and draped it across her carefully. He debated whether or not to kiss her, people always did in those stupid chick flicks she was always watching and loved but he didn't want to be that guy.

Just as he was about to kiss her forehead, she bolted upright completely awake, a hand over her mouth. She sprinted to the bathroom and he could hear her from where he stood. Now a new question arose; go after her or stay put. She would be embarrassed if he helped her but probably pissed if he didn't.

She was still retching into the toilet when he caught up with her. He stayed silent and pulled her hair back for her. He knew she wouldn't say it but she was thankful not to be puking on her precious blonde locks. When she was finished he handed her a wet washcloth, earning a small smile as a thanks.

"You sure you don't need to go to the doctor?" Caleb asked even though he knew what her answer would be.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," she said with a small growl to emphasize her back the fuck up policy.

"Obviously you're not. And I bet your mom would force you to go to the doctor if she knew," Caleb warned as Hanna steadied herself against the sink.

"I'm fine besides if she knew she would make you leave," Hanna repeated trying to get him to just leave.

"You're gonna have to go sooner or later," Caleb responded not backing down.

"Yeah well…I'll figure it out on my own," she bit back, her words stinging him.

"Han, I promised. And I'm keeping that promise," he said grabbing her wrists only to have them snapped back.

"Look this puking has nothing to do with the baby," Hanna whispered as she crossed her arms blocking her stomach, a habit she had picked up quickly, probably out of fear that someone could see her (non-existent) baby bump.

"Even better reason to go to the doctor," Caleb countered placing his hands on her arms and blocking her way out of the bathroom.

"What's it going to take to get you to drop this?" Hanna groaned hoping he would just give up already.

"You making a doctor's appointment," Caleb bargained, releasing her but not moving out of the way.

"After finals," Hanna promised and pushed past him to go back to the couch and watch some more of that trash on TV.


	52. Chapter 52

**Sorry about the really long delay…scary personal stuff this week. Anyway I know y'all said you wanted some chapters about Hanna and the girls and some A stuff and some non-Haleb stuff. I'm sorry if Spencer comes off as too much of a bitch but when I think of her all I can picture is someone who desperately needs to be in control and has strong opinions and sometimes doesn't think before sharing those opinions. She and Hanna don't seem to be the closest in the group and I think it might be because they butt heads over little things, that neither one want to admit are little things. I also think Spencer might see Hanna as stupid (or lesser than her). Oh and I think Spencer thinks she knows what's best for their group and thinks she knows everything about the A business and blah blah blah…annoying bitchy know-it-all just seems to be the right fit. But if someone who isn't totally in love with her character (because everyone has their favorite and favorites lead to more perfect character portrayal and leaving out the not so great parts) wants to help me with a better character description I'm open to it. I want to bring the girls in more but I don't have the best grip on each one of their characters on a deep enough level to really do a lot of pulling them in.**

**Yeah that was really long anyway the point is if you know the girls' characters help me out so I can include them more than just little bursts (like this chapter)! Enjoy!**

"You feeling better Hanna?" Emily asked the next day at lunch (a question probably brought on by the fact that she was staring at nothing).

"Hmmm…oh…yeah. I'm good now," Hanna said as she turned back to her friends. Aria looked worried as did Emily but Spencer was preoccupied with her phone.

"How the…what…I don't…" Spencer stuttered, a rare occurrence for any Hastings.

"Ok Spence. Just tell us what's wrong," Aria said as she patted Spencer on the back and carefully pulled her phone from her hands.

"Oh shit," Aria said as she passed the phone around for viewing.

"Aww poor Spence, left out of the pregnancy pact. Sure I expect Em to get left out. Her lesbian lover cant exact knock her up but you have a boyfriend who looks AH-mazing naked. Unless maybe you play on Em's team. That's cool too. It can be another one of our little secrets. –A"

"Can we talk about this later? Like in private please?" Hanna begged once she read the text.

"I can't believe this! Didn't we warn you about letting him back?" Spencer spat, her voice barely above a sharp whisper.

"Look. If you're just going to lecture me then I'm leaving and you won't hear the explanation. Just drop it for now. There's no need for everyone in the school to hear this," Hanna replied, her words dripping with venom.

"What's there to explain? We know how this works Hanna. You aren't the only non-virgin. You and Caleb are beyond careless. I mean you two have to be the worst possible parents in the world. A homeless foster reject and…" Spencer raged, yet again disapproving of Hanna and Caleb's relationship.

"Oh so you're that much better. You're a suspect in your best friend's murder and so is your boyfriend! Have you ever even taken the chance to talk to Caleb? Do you know about his past? I'm not the only one who saw the good inside him! Before me, he lived with another girl who…" Hanna interrupted only to be interrupted herself.

"He lived with another girl. So what makes you so special? I'm sure he's feeding you all the same lines he used on that poor girl before you," Spencer stated simply, ending her argument and bringing the case to a close.

"Spence!" Aria exclaimed, bringing the conversation to a temporary close with one look.

"Let's just put this argument aside for now. We can have our girls' night at my house this week and talk about it then. But Hanna's right. No one else needs to hear this," Aria said, stepping in to play chaperone to the two bickering girls who were acting like small children by this point.

"So did I miss much yesterday?" Hanna asked changing the subject as Spencer sulked dejectedly.

"Not really…school is pretty much in review mode for finals. No drama really and A had been scary quiet until today," Aria explained, encouraging the change of topics.

"Ha…maybe quiet for you. That bitch broke into my house and took my phone. She gave it back but it's really starting to creep me out that she can just get in and out like that," Hanna argued, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I've always assumed A was a girl probably because A for Alison but most of the people we thought it was were guys, like before we thought it was Ian or Noel we referred to A as she and her. But it could be anyone," Emily offered dully, knowing that this revelation wouldn't be much help.

"I still think Ian has something to do with it. I mean he was hanging in the ropes and then he's just gone…seems pretty suspicious to me," Spencer said joining in the new conversation and trying hard to keep her previous comments subdued.

"But he's gone and we're still getting messages. How would he know the new things?" Aria rebutted, pointing out a major flaw in Spencer's argument.

"How would anyone know some of the things A knows?" Spencer countered, the flaw in her logic no longer a problem.

"It has to be someone close to us to know these things," Hanna said as she made a mental list of people who could be A.

"Hey Bestie and her besties. What's up?" Mona piped cheerfully as she took a seat next to Hanna.

"Oh. Hey Mona," Hanna smiled as she turned to face her on and off friend. She would've ditched her by now but every time she thought of that all she could think of was when Alison ditched her and how Mona had been there for Hefty Hanna as they worked their asses off for the cheerleading squad (literally working hers off). And once she remembered Mona had once been Moaning Myrtle she felt bad and it was so much harder to think about ditching her. So despite their fights they always wound up back as friends sooner or later.

"So I was thinking we need to start conditioning again," Mona said once she realized Hanna was no longer mad at her.

"For…?" Hanna questioned making a gesture to get Mona to speed this conversation up. She had spotted Caleb entering the lunch room.

"Cheerleading tryouts. What else?" Mona quipped as she cocked her head to the side and smiled. She looked really dumb but Hanna wasn't going to push that.

"Oh…I don't think I'm trying out again," Hanna said sadly as she realized there was no way she could do cheerleading next year. But she continued watching Caleb who had seen her as well and was trying to communicate with her.

"Oh come on, we have three months until tryouts. We can get you back into shape. Please?" Mona whined pathetically as Hanna's other friends just watched on, following Hanna's eyes to Caleb's retreating form.

"I don't want that embarrassment again. So no. Sorry," Hanna said quickly as she stood up to follow Caleb out to the hall.

"Hey," Hanna whispered as she was caught in Caleb's embrace outside the lunch room.

"Hey," he replied kissing her lightly but she pulled away, "What's wrong?"

"Not a big fan of that here," she smiled hoping her would understand.

"Sorry. When you were with Sean you seemed to like it," he said harshly mentioning the name of her ex (that he by the way hated for the way he treated her not just the ex-boyfriend part).

"That girl with Sean wasn't the real me," Hanna argued, desperately trying to keep her voice quiet.

"Ok I get it. Sorry," he responded as he started to walk away.

"What's your problem?" Hanna asked catching his arm and pulling him back to her.

"Mona really? You're just going to forgive her like that? She's the reason you thought I left without goodbye," he asked his hatred for the girl laced in his words.

"I forgave you pretty easily a billion times. And can we never bring up the you leaving thing again," Hanna pleaded with her best sad eyes looking up at him.

"Fine. For you Princess. But I don't trust Mona. Just be careful ok," he said pulling her into a hug and a quick kiss.

"What did I just tell you about doing that," Hanna squealed as he continued to hold her close to him.

"If I want to kiss you I will. This gives me that right," Caleb explained as he held her hand with the ring before releasing her back to lunch, "Plus I checked, no one saw."


	53. Chapter 53

**Hey y'all. Sorry about taking forever to update but life was insanely crazy last week. Anyway I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. **

By the time Hanna returned to the table, Mona was gone and so was Spencer. She sat down with a huff as she surveyed the looks on the remaining two girls' faces.

"So you and Caleb…?" Emily began hoping Hanna would finish the sentence with whatever description fit the two of them.

"Can we just discuss this later," Hanna sighed as she dropped her head into her hands resting on the table.

"Oh come on Han. We need some details to get us to the weekend," Emily pouted begging Hanna to fill her in on the drama.

"There's not much to say," Hanna said with a shrug hoping lunch would be over soon or the subject would change.

"Please?" Emily begged reaching across the table to hold Hanna's hands, forcing her to stay until she revealed some details.

"There really isn't much to say. We're just seeing where it goes. My mom says he has to be gone by New Year so…yeah…" Hanna finished awkwardly. They hadn't even thought about what would happen then…but they had a few more weeks to decide.

"Well he can go live in my house. We aren't selling it," Emily said with a huff.

"You mean you're staying?" Hanna asked excitedly, missing the hints of sorrow in Emily's voice.

"No but at least we're coming back. It's not even a full year. We'll be back before senior year starts up," Emily said pushing the spoon around in her yogurt.

"It's a start," Aria said as Hanna reached her arms around Emily's shoulders.

"Why even go? Less than a year is pointless. Your mom can go to Texas and you can stay in my guest room," the blonde suggested in all seriousness.

"You try telling my mom that and see how she takes it," Emily responded knowing her mother would never go for it. Hanna was about to say something snappy back but the bell rang, interrupting their conversation and sending them to their individual classes.

At the end of the day Caleb was waiting for her at her locker. Like always he had that smirk plastered to his face as he watched her walk (way too slowly) towards him. That perfect Princess mask was glowing for the entire school but he knew her better than that now. He knew that the harder she strutted down the hall, the closer she was to falling apart. So he stood and waited for her to (finally) get close enough he could wrap his arms around her.

"What's wrong?" he whispered into her hair shooting death glares at anyone who stopped to stare at them.

"Bad day," she moaned against his chest before pulling away and pretending there was nothing wrong.

"I'm sorry babe," he offered knowing better than to ask for details yet.

"Yeah me too," she grumbled as she turned to open her locker and Caleb began snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her close enough to press his lips to her neck.

"Wanna tell me who to go beat up?" he asked playfully ignoring the no PDA rule Hanna had put in place earlier.

"Spencer needs to get off her damn high horse," Hanna said as she sorted through her locker looking for the books she needed to take home.

"Would Caleb Rivers please report to the principal's office?" the voice over the loud speaker announced.

"You go on home. This might be a while," Caleb groaned releasing Hanna before making his way to the principal's office.

"Mr. Rivers?" the parent at the desk asked once Caleb entered the office.

"Yep," he replied shortly.

"Go on in," the mother smiled up at him as she shut down the computer and began packing her things to go home.

He walked into the office and took a seat in the uncomfortable chair in front of the desk. A man was seated behind the desk looking at a stack of papers. Caleb had no idea who this man was but he knew it couldn't be the principal. Despite his somewhat sketchy behavior he had never been called in for anything before but he knew this man was way too young to be a principal, or even have graduated college.

"Ah Caleb," the man said looking up from whatever he was reading and eyeing the younger boy, "Surprised they actually called you in. When I asked if I could do this they looked at me like I was crazy. By the way, who's the hot red head who answered the door?"

"I'm sorry who are you?" Caleb asked concerned by this guy's ability to rattle off as if they were old friends.

"Nate Patterson," the young man said extending his hand a bit formally. Caleb shook it quickly before releasing it to think about the name. He had heard it before but he couldn't remember where. It sounded like something he had heard a lot from Grace. He could almost distinctly hear her voice as the name rolled off her lips.

"Right," Caleb nodded as he continued to ponder the name (as well as continued to wonder who in their right mind let him in the principal's office).

"You probably don't remember me do you?" the man asked pausing to let Caleb shake his head, "I'm a friend of the Dixon family. Ever since Grace got back from her visit she hasn't shut up about you. They sent me up here with this paperwork for you. They want you to look over it and think about it."

"Uhm…ok…?" Caleb mumbled as he took the thick envelope from Nate's hands. He looked it over, it was insanely thick but his name was written on it in the familiar scrawl of none-other-than the girl who almost cost him his relationship with Hanna (…the blonde one he added after realizing two girls had done that). He opened it and scanned it curiously. He didn't understand. He looked up at the man across from him; a confused look must have been evident on his face because Nate laughed knowingly before answering him.

"They want to resume the adoption process," the man smiled.


	54. Chapter 54

**Ok so here's another chapter. Hopefully I can get back into updating more often.**

"Adoption?" Caleb choked out as he scanned the papers in his hands again.

"No…well I can't exactly come up with a sarcastic comment for that…but yeah so you gonna do it or do I have to go back and break Grace's heart?" Nate said kicking his feet up on the desk.

"Don't say it would break her heart," Caleb snapped his face to meet the eyes of the boy in front of him. Everyone assumed it had been his fault Grace had done all that stupid stuff that nearly cost her her life.

"Got it. Wrong choice of words," Nate said bolting upright in the chair to listen for a suspicious noise that might be the principal coming back.

"Just think about it and let's get out of here before the principal gets back," Nate said as he ushered Caleb out of the office. The two walked out to the parking lot in silence while Caleb thought over his options.

"Look whatever you decide, just know that they would love to have you back. They've gotten over it-for the most part-and it wasn't your fault," Nate said stopping once they were outside to make sure the younger boy would at least consider it.

"Thanks," Caleb responded before Nate went to his car.

"Caleb!" Mona called running up to him as he began his walk back to Hanna's.

"Mona? What do you want?" Caleb growled when she attempted to pull him to a stop.

"Careful with that attitude. You'll lose all your customers. I just thought you might need a little extra cash," Mona smiled as she placed her cell phone and a roll of cash in his hands.

"What do you need me to do?" Caleb asked reluctantly, needing money badly enough to accept work from Mona.

"I have a new phone. Can you break it for me? I have to go out of town for a bit this weekend so I'll pay extra if you can get it to me before then. And with the baby on the way I bet you could use all the cash you can get," Mona said adding the last part in a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb snapped but he knew what she meant. Sure it was true but that didn't mean he would let anyone else know that or even think it.

"It's all around the school. The neighbors heard the yelling and all it took was a little birdy tweeting," Mona said as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be gossiping about one's best friend with said friend's boyfriend.

"You're her friend. Why haven't you done anything to stop the rumor?" Caleb barked. He knew there was a reason he hated Mona. The bitch had probably started the rumor herself.

"Because it seems pretty true to me," Mona said simply before sauntering off to her car.

"I hate doing this, I really do but I have to go take care of this account. The old couple has been too weak to come to us for the past few years. So we always go to them and the husband just died. It will be two days tops. I promise. But I don't want you and Caleb staying here alone," Mrs. Marin explained as she threw things into her suitcase.

"Well what do you want me to do about it? Kick him out for two days? If I have to do that he might not come back," Hanna argued, thankful Caleb wasn't home yet but wondering what had stopped him at school.

"Aw Honey…I'm not asking you to kick him out. I'm asking if there's somewhere else either one of you can go for those two days," Mrs. Marin said as she searched her closet for a specific pair of shoes.

"Emily is packed up and her mom is going insane over the move. Spencer's warden wouldn't let me see her and I don't think I want to stay with her in prison. Aria's parents are still arguing. They were going to move back in together but now they aren't and it's just a mess over there," Hanna rambled while rounding up all the makeup and other toiletries her mother would need.

"I didn't know Ella and Bryon were getting back together," Mrs. Marin said as she paused her packing, trying to be subtle about her curiosity.

"I don't know if they are anymore. But it's a mess everywhere. Why can't you just trust us?" Hanna begged as she flopped down on her mother's king sized bed wishing hers was that big rather than the queen she had.

"Please tell me that isn't a serious question," Mrs. Marin said eyeing her daughter with a look that said 'I know better than that and I sure as hell hope you do too or there is a serious problem'.

"Once ok. We messed up once. But I think we can handle ourselves for two days without getting into trouble," Hanna said, knowing that there was no more trouble that they could find besides the delicate situation she was already in.

"I beg to differ. If you don't want to go stay with one of the girls at least have one of them stay here with you," Mrs. Marin bargained as she found the shoes she had been looking for.

"We don't need a babysitter," Hanna whined as she rolled over and stretched out.

"Well if I don't have someone babysitting you this weekend, you'll be paying the next one so you can have a date night," Mrs. Marin threatened as she stared Hanna down, drilling the lesson (she had already learned the hard way) into her brain.

"Fine! I'll call Aria," Hanna huffed as she bounced off the bed to her room in search of her phone to call her babysitter for the next couple of days. Not only did she find her phone but she also found a new message waiting for her.

"That little show in the hallway sure didn't help you much. Your dirty little secret spread faster than wildfire…it even spread faster than your legs. –A"

Hanna groaned, deleted the text and punched in Aria's number.

"Hey Aria. I need a favor," Hanna said once Aria picked up on her end.

"Need more details than that," Aria laughed knowing how Hanna worked. If it was a big favor details wouldn't come until after she got what she wanted. So this was clearly a big favor.

"My mom is going out of town and thinks me and Caleb need a babysitter. So I was thinking you could tell your parents you're staying with me and I could tell my mom not to worry. Then we both could have some alone time with our boys," Hanna smiled as she explained, hoping Aria would take the bait.

"Haha Hanna. If you two are left alone you won't leave your room," Aria said knowing exactly why Mrs. Marin wouldn't leave them together.

"We would too! I pinky promise we won't stay in bed the whole time!" Hanna protested thinking of all the other things they could do…and places that would make that promise true.

"Seriously Han? You're already…you know…and all you can think of is that?" Aria asked being very careful about what she said out loud, she must not me somewhere she can really talk Hanna thought.

"Fine fine. We'll only sleep sleep together nothing more," Hanna whined.

"And your definition of 'sleep sleep' is…?" Aria questioned and Hanna could picture her eyebrows rising just so.

"Cuddle and sleep…none of that other stuff," Hanna groaned. She hated the word but she knew that's what Aria wanted to hear.

"Fine. But only because it means I have time with Ezra," Aria agreed before hanging up.

"Mom! Aria will do it. You can call her parents if you don't believe me," Hanna yelled to her mother before sitting down to get some homework done.


	55. Chapter 55

**Ok so who's seen the promo? ME! Who's excited? ME! Anyways here's another chapter, You're gonna a little more about Caleb and Grace's relationship here and what it was like for him to have a family. Enjoy and don't forget to review so I know someone read it. If I don't start getting reviews without having to beg for them, I'll have to set a rule like no updates until each chapter gets 5 reviews or something.**

Hanna was lounging on the couch flipping through channels when Caleb finally sat down with her. With her mom gone, Hanna had suggested a night of take-out and movies but Caleb had insisted on making her dinner. Looking back she should've known something was up.

"So you made this?" Hanna questioned raising an eyebrow as he placed the bowl of soup in her lap, "Like it's not from a can you just heated up or anything? You actually cooked it?"

"Yeah why is that so hard to believe?" Caleb said feigning sadness by her words.

"Just never took you for the cooking type. Grilling maybe," Hanna said as she twirled the spoon around in the bowl inspecting the contents.

"Either eat it or don't. But don't play with it," Caleb scolded as she continued to fold the soup on itself but never bringing the spoon out of the bowl.

"Yes daddy," Hanna mocked as she scooped a bit onto the spoon and brought it to her lips. Caleb watched as she pursed her lips and blew softly on the hot soup trying to cool it a little before she gently placed the spoon in her mouth.

"Don't burn yourself," Caleb said dipping the slice of bread into his soup and letting it absorb the broth before munching on it.

"I'm not that stupid," Hanna groaned and mentally cursed herself for putting the spoon straight into her mouth without blowing on it first.

"You burnt yourself didn't you?" Caleb laughed as Hanna's lips pulled tightly.

"No…" Hanna said but the look on her face gave her away.

"Really?" Caleb asked smirking as he raised an eyebrow in suspicion of her words.

"Ok…maybe just a little," Hanna said pinching her fingers in demonstration of how little. Caleb laughed and got up. He went to the kitchen and came back with a damp towel.

"Don't," Caleb said taking the ice cube from her hands, "That's too cold. It'll scar."

"Oh," Hanna said embarrassed by her mistake and definitively not wanting her lips to scar.

"Here," he said pressing the cool rag to her lips taking away the burn lightly.

"So where'd you learn this?" Hanna asked between dabs to her lips.

"Grace," he responded quickly and simply.

"Oh…of course," Hanna mumbled looking away sharply moving her lips away from his hands.

"When she was sick she became obsessed with food and everything that had to do with cooking-like how to treat burns," Caleb snapped. Hanna's words had struck a nerve.

"Sorry. I didn't mean…it's just all you've ever told me are things that make you seem like you loved her," Hanna responded her jaw still angled away from the boy trying to tend to her.

"Well I did…she was the first person who ever seemed to want me around," Caleb said giving up on trying to help Hanna.

"Sorry…you know I didn't mean it as harshly as I did right?" Hanna questioned, her eyes rolling up to meet his face with genuine concern when he still didn't look at her.

"Yeah…whatever," he grumbled his attention on his own dinner now.

"I just don't know much about her and all I ever hear is 'we were never more than friends' even though it seems like you were," she said pressing her lips to his cheek and he turned to give her more of a kiss, "but I'm working on trusting that it was just friends and you were more like family than anything."

"The tattoo…it was Grace's idea," Caleb blurted as they pulled away.

"What?" Hanna looked up at him, purely confused.

"Well really it was more the alcohol's idea," Caleb began rambling trying to think of how to explain this.

"Yeah ok…why are you telling me this?" Hanna asked scrunching up her face as she tried to comprehend what created the need for him to explain it.

"I don't want you to be able to question anything or think I'm lying to you," Caleb continued setting himself up for a very unhappy Hanna.

"What are you saying?" she interrupted her eyes sharp and piercing him trying to find the point of his blabbering.

"Just before I left… bonfire or something…drunk…too far…matching tattoos…" Caleb sputtered quickly and incoherently.

"Repeat please?" Hanna stared on. Caleb took a deep breath before beginning his spiel again.

"We were never more than friends but before I left we went out. Not on a date or anything but to a party. Her friend had arranged a back-to-school bonfire or something at one of the old cabins on the lake so we went together. Her boyfriend was in and out of her life so I was like her boyfriend for the night. Pretty much so the guy to girl ratio was equal. Of course we got drunk. And we took the friends with something more way too far. I don't remember much but we hooked up. And I woke up with that tattoo-I guess she has a matching one but it's not somewhere you can just see. I don't want another mix up and I didn't want you to think I was lying through omission," Caleb explained looking up at Hanna. She had seen the tattoo and it had never made much sense to her. Some random image on his mid-back that probably meant something to the two of them was permanently etched into his skin just as the girl was permanently etched into his heart.

"Thank you for telling me," Hanna whispered as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as a thank you for the honesty.

"I'm not done," Caleb said strongly and Hanna knew the rest wasn't good, "She offered to take me back."

"What do you mean?" Hanna barked, she knew what he meant but he could've phrased it very differently. The way he said it made it sound like he was going back to Grace not the family.

"She talked to her parents and they've offered to adopt me," he explained carefully picking his words.

"And you're actually considering it?" she snapped.

"Well yeah. I'm about to be kicked out here. I have nowhere else to go. I could go back to having a real family," he began knowing he would be interrupted any minute.

"So we're not enough of a family for you?" Hanna spat, insulted by his statement.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," he assured her but she didn't accept his rebuttal of her claim.

"I should've known I was just your second best. You couldn't have the real Grace so you did the next best thing," Hanna argued as she stormed up the stairs to her room with Caleb close on her heels.

"The first reason I noticed you was because you looked like her but that's not the only reason," Caleb protested to the closed door.

"I don't want to hear it. Just call her and tell her you want to go back to her. If you're only staying because of the baby don't. I don't want you to be here just because you got me pregnant and felt obligated to stay when you would rather be with her," Hanna sobbed but the door remained locked.


	56. Chapter 56

**I'm so glad y'all liked the last chapter. So here is another one (which I thought I added forever ago…but I got back from out of town and the update didn't show…weird). I know you probably want them to just get past the Grace thing already but honestly…spoiler of common sense…they never really will, it will still be in the back of their mind waiting for the next time it can wreak havoc. Hope y'all like this chapter!**

Caleb returned to his spot on the couch and tried to find something to take his mind off of Hanna. He wanted to go talk to her but she was too pissed to think rationally right now. He knew he would have to explain sooner or later but he opted for later. Besides, his soup was getting cold and it was one of his favorites. So he sat on the couch, eating his soup and thinking about what it would be like when he went back. Sure he wanted to stay here but that wasn't much of an option. Even if he somehow managed to stay, Ashley was going to find out sooner or later and then he would be dead. He could already see Mrs. Marin kicking him out as she screamed while trying to maintain some of the family's dignity. He wanted to think that she would rethink it and decide he could stay for Hanna's sake (and the baby's) but something in the back of his mind told him that the situation he had helped put Hanna in qualified as hurting Hanna and breaking the rules which would get him kicked out. His phone was buzzing on the coffee table in front of him keeping him from focusing his mind on the situation he was in now. After the annoying little thing just wouldn't stop, he gave in and pulled it to his ear.

"Hello?" he mumbled, not caring who it was.

"Well that's no way to answer the phone when I call. I thought you would be excited," the perky voice said on the other end.

"Sorry G, Hanna didn't take it too well. She won't even let me explain," Caleb groaned into the phone pinned between his ear and his shoulder before he resumed shoveling spoonfuls of soup into his mouth while Grace began ranting.

"…you weren't paying any attention at all," Grace said after a high pitched noise startled him and brought his attention back to the phone.

"Well you should know by now that I get sick of your tangents about three words in and zone out. So how 'bout this time you get straight to the point," Caleb groaned, obviously not in the mood to deal with this right now.

"Give her some space. You said you knocked her up; it's probably hormones or something. She'll come around sooner or later," Grace's voice oozed from the receiver and Caleb wondered how he ever ended up with her for a best friend in the first place. What the hell happened to his walls and protective fronts? And when did his one man wolf-pack become a duo? And of all people to break down for, he had to fall flat on his face in front of one of the preppy-est, most perfect girls he had ever met. He sometimes even doubted her human-ness, until the whole anorexic self-harm thing popped up. That was the only time he ever saw that girl weak. Maybe that's what brought them together, their strength at faking being ok. Same thing attracted him to Hanna but this time he knew better than to assume she was some robot built as an experiment of overly perfect people. He could see the cracks in her mask which made him even more attracted to her. She wasn't perfect and that was perfect for him.

"Ok whatever. I've gotta go," Caleb said hanging up without even giving Grace a chance to say anything. He had heard noises on the stairs and checked the time. He had been sitting there awhile. Hanna must be coming back downstairs.

"Hey," her broken quiet voice came from behind the couch.

"Hey," he said back, taking a moment to read her face looking for hints of what might come next.

"Was that her?" Hanna asked quietly motioning to the phone, no venom in her voice as she finished the question but the tone was set by the use of her instead of the name she hated.

"Yeah," Caleb nodded unsure of what Hanna was doing as she moved onto the couch with him. Last time he had seen her she was storming off to her room, now she was wrapping his arms around her body begging him to hold her.

"I'm sorry I snapped, hormones I guess," she explained as if reading his mind.

"Right," he offered, hoping it wouldn't set her off again.

"I'm scared," she sobbed, breaking Caleb's heart. Why did he have to go and screw up her life?

"I know…I know," Caleb cooed, rubbing her back trying to think of anything to take her mind off the bad fight.

"Please don't leave me," she asked, her face still nuzzled so closely to his chest that her words came out muffled.

"That's not up to me. I don't think your mom will let me stay here after she knows you're pregnant. And if your dad finds out, I might as well go into the witness protection program," Caleb attempted to joke but Hanna's laugh wasn't even faked and he knew it hadn't worked.

"So," Hanna countered weakly. She knew she would never be able to convince him otherwise but she wasn't going to just give in.

"Think of it this way, our baby can have two families that love it: your mom and friends, and Grace's family. We can have somewhere to go to get away from this A person. Our baby will be safe there and its not that far away. I can come back every other weekend," Caleb petitioned hoping his argument might have a chance at winning over Hanna. He knew the no A card would win him some points but there was still a lot of convincing to do.

"If you…if you leave…ill find the money somehow. I'll get an abortion. I can't…I can't do this on my own. There won't be a baby to protect from A," she choked out as she pressed herself closer to him.

Caleb had no response. He sat there staring up at the ceiling hoping the answer would be written out for him. He knew she was scared but he didn't think she would actually go that far. But it was her body and at the end of the day he had no say in the decision as much as he tried to convince himself.

"Let's do it," he blurted out, "I've got enough cash. We can drive out of town somewhere and have it done in the morning. Everything will be fixed."


	57. Chapter 57

**Ok let's skip all the annoying author crap and get straight to the story. Sorry its short but the next chapter is ready too so the faster you read this, the faster I can get up the next one. Begin! Enjoy!**

"Are you crazy? We have school in the morning. We can't just leave and go do that. Especially not right now. It's like two in the morning," Hanna spat out, shocked by Caleb's response.

"And why not? If you want this little problem taken care of then let's do it now before it's too late. You know there is a deadline on this," Caleb roared. If she wanted to do it he just wanted to get it done before he could think it through and realize it would be something he would regret for the rest of his life.

"I don't know…maybe…I mean my mom is coming back in the morning. What's she going to think if she gets a call from the school saying neither one of us showed up?" Hanna sputtered looking for any excuse.

"She'll think whatever she wants to think but she'll never have to know anything. I can pay for it in cash and we can use whatever fake names you want. Maybe this is the right thing to do. I mean we didn't want this kid at all. We even went and got that pill thing. Something didn't work and you ended up pregnant anyway. We did what we could not to be in this situation and we still got screwed. Let's just go get rid of the problem. Isn't that how all you rich people deal with all their problems; paying for them to go away?" Caleb barked, getting mad not at Hanna but the situation they were put in, although Hanna took it as him being mad at her.

"How could you even say that?" she sobbed. It seemed like he would always make comments like that to her and as much as she wished he would get over it she knew she was always Princess to him and it wasn't always a loving petname.

"Look do you want to have this kid or not?" Caleb calmed down enough to ask. He knew he had scared her pretty badly.

"I thought I might but now I don't know if I can do this with you," Hanna said glaring at the boy in front of her.

"Come on let's just go get this taken care of," Caleb said before mounting the stairs to get the money from his secret stash and grab Hanna's purse for her. When he came back downstairs Hanna had stopped crying and was sitting on the couch with a pillow in her lap.

"You ready?" he asked and she jumped a little.

"I don't know," she squeaked but it came out as a question.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a sigh before sitting down with her.

"I didn't think I would want to be a mom ever. I thought I would grow up and still never want kids even when all my friends had families of their own. But now I don't know. I thought maybe this wouldn't be so bad then I don't know," she sighed rubbing the pillow in her lap to keep her hands from wrapping around Caleb's neck and pulling herself into his arms.

"If you don't want to get an abortion we should at least tell your mom when she gets back," Caleb said relaxing onto the couch because he realized they weren't going anywhere just yet.

"No…I wanna do it," Hanna said after a deep breath. Caleb knew she didn't mean it but she was at least considering the option. He decided to drive her out there. They could sit and wait until she either chickened out or went through with it and it was her decision either way. Hanna stood up and took his hand then they walked out to the car in silence.

Caleb took out his phone and brought up Google. Then he punched in an zip code he knew was far enough away not to know anyone but close enough they could get back soon and found a clinic about two hours away. He put the address in the GPS of Hanna's car and pulled out of the driveway.

"You know I thought about what it would be like," Hanna said quietly about forty minutes into their drive.

"You know what it would be like to be married and have kids and be like those housewives that are so perfect. I actually put a pillow under my shirt and tried to think of what it would be like to be pregnant. Then I thought of what it would be like to be parents with a baby and it wasn't that bad," Hanna continued after Caleb simply nodded in response.

"Mhmm," Caleb agreed so she would continue her little speech.

"And then I remembered that we're in high school. If we were ten years…or maybe even five years older it would be ok. People would look at us and think 'oh what a cute little family to be'. People would be polite and ask questions like 'how far along are you' and 'do you know if it's a girl or a boy'. But we're not. Instead people are gonna look at me like a whore and be bitchy about it," Hanna said hoping Caleb would have a real response for her this time.

"I don't know what to say," he said knowing she needed some vocal acknowledgement of the fact she was spilling her thoughts on the subject.

"Tell me what to do," Hanna begged a little whineier than she intended.

"You know I can't do that. This is your decision and I'll do whatever you want but I can't decide for you," he offered stealing a glance at the young mother to be next to him.

"But you can help me decide. Do you want it?" Hanna asked the one question he wasn't prepared to answer. He knew how he wanted to answer but he couldn't say the wrong thing and offend Hanna.

"I don't know," he sighed trying to think of how he could explain what he was thinking.

"Fine," Hanna said with a huff as she turned on the radio. Hearing the new song from Rascal Flatts and Justin Bieber she couldn't help but think back to when she first really talked to him and how without really knowing her he was ready to go break the law for her (what he did was illegal right?). How could that turn into this?


	58. Chapter 58

**So I'm actually jealous how much better the Canadian promos are…anyway…I'm excited…and the writing is just flowing. If you haven't checked out my newest PLL story (To Whom It May Concern) give it a try. I'm having a lot harder time with the other girls so if you have any starting point that might get the ideas going let me know. Anyway enough advertising for my other story…enjoy this one. And to anyone who got bored and left the story…come back. Everything is about to change drastically. **

About forty-five minutes later they reached their destination. Unfortunately it was still crazy early in the morning and the clinic wouldn't be open for another three hours. They had time to spare and Caleb had decided to kill time by taking a shower then a nap (and then he would probably be forced to take another shower based on Hanna's discomfort towards the awful motel and disgusting bed linens).

"What if we were older? What if we weren't in school? What if we were still together, not married or anything?" Hanna asked him suddenly. The sound of her voice on the other side of the shower curtain brought him from his half-asleep blackout but not in time to catch what she had to say.

"Huh?" he groaned focusing his attention on listening to her while trying not to pass out of sleep deprivation. Unlike his Princess (which he decided was Sleeping Beauty…gorgeous and loving her sleep), he had to keep his eyes open for their drive. She on the other hand had snored (although in was a cute little snore not like some kind of wild animal or something) at least half the trip.

"What if we were in the same situation but just a few years older?" she repeated oblivious to the fact now was not the time for a serious conversation when he was on the verge of falling asleep standing up.

"A few years from now my answer would be different. The situation would be different. Let me get out of here then we can talk," Caleb pointed out. Hanna stepped outside the small bathroom to give him some space and think about what he had said. True, a few years from now it would be a lot easier for her to skip the abortion and have the kid but that didn't mean a few years would make it easier for him. Not that much would change in a few years except maybe by then this A person would be gone and she wouldn't have to worry about A taking their child as blackmail.

"Look if you want the abortion it's what we're here for. If you don't that's fine too. If we were in this same situation a few years from now I wouldn't be pushing the abortion thing as much. I would do what I said I would and marry you without a second thought," Caleb explained as he swung the door open to face Hanna who now had small silent tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.

"What would change in a few years?" she asked quietly with a sniffle.

"It just wouldn't be as much of a mistake. We would know each other and I would probably be thinking of proposing anyway. And most importantly we wouldn't have screwed up like my parents," Caleb growled stripping the blankets back and sliding into bed.

"Caleb…" Hanna began, crawling in beside him and pulling as close as she could.

"Look my mom got pregnant in high school with a guy she had known only a few months. Sound familiar? My dad said he would help but obviously he didn't mean it and left. My mom thought she could handle it but she couldn't. I don't want to repeat that," he explained as he tried to keep Hanna from getting too close.

"I know you wouldn't let that happen. You aren't your dad," she replied as she pushed the hair from his face so she could see his eyes.

"I know I said I'm here for you, and I want to be, but I'm not good at staying as you've already seen. So if you don't want this kid let's just go get this over with. If in a few years we find ourselves in this situation again, I'll be ready but I'm not now," Caleb responded ignoring Hanna's attempts at comforting him.

"What about me? What if in a few years I'm still not ready?" she asked as she moved back to her seat, feeling rather dejected.

"Don't worry about it. Now can I go to sleep?" he replied as he turned over so his back was to her. It wasn't a question. The conversation was over and he was going to sleep.

The next morning they sat in the waiting room filing out the proper paper work. Their only conversation that morning had been a brief good morning and then Hanna explaining her plan to act like they were there for a checkup rather than an abortion to prevent the uncomfortable stares from the strangers bound to be judging them. The two were sitting alone waiting for their-scratch that, Hanna's-name to be called.

"Mrs. Rivers?" the receptionist called and Caleb stole a glance at Hanna who was now standing up giving him a look that said come on.

"You used my last name?" he whispered in her ear as he grabbed her hand and pulled her under his arm.

"Of course. It's your baby and you are my husband," she replied pecking his cheek before they approached the door to the back.

"Well then, you sure about this?" he asked when she hesitated over the doorknob.

"…yeah…" she said but still couldn't bring herself to open the door. Instead Caleb placed his hand over hers and turned the knob, pushing the door open. They were greeted by a nurse they didn't take the time to acknowledge the name of who led them down the hallway.

"We don't have to do this," he said as they walked back to the room they were directed to.

"I know. I want to," she replied so quietly it was barely heard.

"Just go ahead and sit up here. I'll bring a chair in for your boyfriend," the nurse replied leaving them alone for a brief moment of silence in which they just stared at everything except each other.

"Here you go. The doctor will be in here in a bit Mrs. Rivers-oh I'm sorry I guess this is your husband. The paperwork said you are here for an abortion and I assumed this was another one of those teenage mistakes. We get so many of those in here," the nurse explained her mistake, only creating a bigger mistake as Hanna began to think.

"Yeah…" Hanna said nervously as the nurse studied her.

"Well then…let me know if you need anything," the nurse responded before nearly running out of the room before her mouth could get her in any more trouble.

"You have to promise you won't focus on what could've been. I can't let you do this if you are just going to lose sleep regretting it," he said once the nurse left again.

"I…" Hanna began only to be interrupted by the buzz of her phone.

"Please tell me that's not the psycho stalker bitch," Caleb groaned as Hanna tensed in fear.

"No…it's Spencer. I better take this," Hanna stammered confused as to why Spencer would be calling her.

"Hey Spence…what's up?" she asked as she took the call.

"Where are you? Are you ok?" Spencer's panicked voice came from the other side.

"I'm with Caleb. We're fine," Hanna answered hoping her vague reply would be enough.

"I would question that but I don't have a lot of time before my mom gets back. The point is Ian is back. He's claiming he has amnesia but I think it's just an act. We don't know much yet but I needed to know you were ok. Shit it's my mom. I gotta go," Spencer said quickly before the line went dead leaving Hanna in pure confusion.

"What's wrong?" Caleb asked concerned by her facial expression.

"I can't do this. We have to get home. He's back and I know something is wrong. We need to leave now," she stammered throwing her phone back in her purse and jumping down from the doctor's chair.

"Calm down. Who's back," Caleb said following after the scared blonde.

"Ian. He's not dead," she paused to reply before the two ran back to the car to go back to Rosewood.


	59. Chapter 59

**Ok I'm getting sick of this. I thought maybe I wasn't getting reviews because I was updating constantly but the most recent chapter has only 1 review even though I can see at least 60 people clicked it…I really doubt 59 people clicked by accident. If I don't start getting reviews, I'm just going to stop the story. Sorry if I sound bitchy but I'm not posting for myself and I don't see the point in taking the time to post it for no one to read. So I want five reviews by this time next week or the next update will be an author's note saying I'm taking the story down. Sorry but you brought this upon yourselves.**

"What do you mean Ian's back?" Hanna asked as she slapped her purse on the table. The sudden motion shifted the table and food spilled. The other girls looked up in shock. Not because Hanna was fuming mad (she tended to get that way) but because of who was with her. Sure they knew Hanna had forgiven Caleb and let him move back in. They also knew she still loved the boy but only Aria had seen that he still cared. Now here the couple was before them in a loving-ish (as loving as they get) embrace after being MIA for the first half of the school day.

"Will you please stop gaping and tell me when this happened?" Hanna barked growing impatient that she had to come back for this while she was in the middle of something way more important.

"When did this happen?" Spencer said twisting Hanna's words to ask about the relationship.

"That's not the point. The point is that Ian is back and my therapy session became a group session because of it. So I need to know what the hell has happened in the past twenty-four God damn hours!" Hanna continued despite the attempts to quiet her made by her boyfriend as well as the girls.

"We can't talk about that here," Aria offered hoping it would calm the blonde down but instead it gave her an idea.

"Fine then come on. We have somewhere to go," Hanna smiled tugging on her friend's arm.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked as she pulled Spencer and Emily up as well.

"You too Mister," Hanna addressed Caleb but ignored Aria's question.

"Where are we going?" he asked as Hanna handed him her keys. He would have to drive because she would be too busy talking.

"To finish what we were doing," Hanna said simply as she marched them out of the cafeteria. Caleb looked at her then glanced at her friends then back to her eyes as if trying to tell her something along the lines of 'are you sure you want to bring them along'.

"We've got about two hours in the car for you to explain," Hanna said once Caleb had steered the car out of the parking lot and towards the highway, following a similar rout as the one they had taken before dawn that morning.

"Will you at least tell us where you're taking us?" Emily sighed as she looked out the window. Poor Aria was stuck in the middle while Spencer was behind Hanna's seat.

"To fix a mistake," Hanna offered vaguely and Aria began choking on the water she had just taken a sip of. Apparently Aria caught on.

"Are you sure about this?" Aria coughed as she tried to catch her breath. She pulled herself as close to the front as she could

"Yeah," Hanna said looking at Caleb's attempts at a calm face then turning to face the girls, "So spill. What's this about Ian?"

"You said we have two hours and I'm sick about talking about Ian. Why didn't you tell us you two were back together?" Emily asked hurt that she had been kept out of the loop.

"Look I don't wanna talk about it yet. Let's just go back to my house after all. We can talk there," Hanna said aggravated.

By the time they got back to the house, it was beginning to rain. They all hurried inside and went to the den, except Caleb who was dismissed to anywhere but there. Hanna had offered to find what snacks she could and was walking to the kitchen when she realized she wasn't alone.

"Are you seriously going to get an abortion?" Aria squeaked as she pulled Hanna to the side.

"I don't know. I can't have this baby especially not with A around," Hanna said trying to shake off the conversation she didn't want to have with anyone except maybe Caleb.

"Well either way there's no need to tell anyone until you decide. And if you do decide to go get it taken care of there's no need to tell anyone you were ever pregnant," Aria explained before the two began the popcorn and got out a few drinks.

"So what happened?" Hanna asked when they returned to the others with the food.

"Well Melissa had reported him missing so his pictures were in hospitals and polices offices all around. A few days ago he showed up in an ER in some small town in South Carolina. I think he was going back to Hilton Head," Spencer began explaining before Hanna interrupted.

"Let's get the facts before we start speculating on what happened," Hanna said as the girls stared on impressed by her use of 'big words', noticing this she laughed and added a small, "I'm a smart blonde sometimes."

"Anyways…" Spencer began trying to remember where she was before Hanna's interruption, "Like I said he showed up in some ER claiming he had no idea where he was or what happened and couldn't even say what his name was. Well they recognized him from the pictures and called Melissa. She went down with my mom the other day and pretty much said 'yep that's my husband' and got to bring him home. He's sticking to this amnesia story but he knows I told everyone he tried to kill me. I guess Melissa got him caught up on everything he missed on their drive back because the first thing he said to me was 'I don't understand why you did it' and he thinks I tried to kill him."

"Oh my God," Aria breathed out as Spencer finished her speech.

"If I don't get locked up for Ali's murder I bet I will for trying to kill Ian," Spencer ended with a scoff.

"Well what do we do? We don't even know who pushed him," Hanna said, talking through her thoughts, before Caleb's worried face appeared in the hallway.

"But we do know who it was-or at least who we think it was. It had to be A," Aria said as Hanna trailed off.

"We don't know that. A may have protected your relationship with Fitz-sorry Ezra-but that doesn't mean they're our friend. Maybe you don't remember all the bad things they've done," Emily countered.

"In case you've forgotten I got ran over by a car driven by the bitch. If it was A they might've been trying to kill Spencer instead," Hanna offered her own thoughts on the subject as Caleb tried communicating with her non-verbally.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure whoever pushed Ian meant to push him," Spencer sighed, hating to have to relieve any second of that night.

"One minute," Hanna muttered jumping up to follow Caleb to the kitchen.

"You need to see this," he said in a hushed tone as he pulled out his phone, a message from A in big bold letters.

"Hide your kid(s). Hide your wife (to be). Because I'm back and you can't stop me…only stall. –A"


	60. Chapter 60

**First of all I need to respond to some reviews:  
1. I write for myself, but update on the site for others.  
2. I have a fear (for lack of better word) of nothing being said about something I worked on, and that when nothing is said it's because it's no good. (This is in everything not just writing.)  
3. Thank you, I will take everything said into consideration.**

**I'm sorry to have had to bitch like that. I was just really worried the story was becoming crap because the reviews had slowed. Anyway to those who want the story and took the time to post nice things, thank you. I was already having a bad day and it's not an excuse for taking it out on y'all so I'm sorry. I will continue the story so long as there are people reviewing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. (By the way, if you didn't catch the hide your kids, hide your wife thing it's a line from the bed intruder song…it's not worth looking up if you haven't seen it but I just wanted to let y'all in on that line I've been trying to find a place for since I thought of it.) Also I'm going to the beach with some friends so I won't be updating (and probably not even writing) through next week.**

Hanna's fingers slipped around the phone, tugging it to her face. With a huff she stormed into the living area where the girls were waiting for her, Caleb protesting in tow.

"This isn't ok anymore. It hasn't been ok for a long time. Something has to be done about A," Hanna fumed as she tossed the phone down to Aria without thinking of the implications of the text. Aria read the text then looked up with big eyes as she closed the message, thankful Caleb had a password on his phone.

"This seems private…we don't need to know all A's threats," Aria said as she handed Caleb's phone back to him, who nodded in thanks and agreement.

"The point is A is even texting him now," Hanna said jabbing her thumb in Caleb's direction.

"Well what do we do? We can't go to the cops…they already think we're liars. Can't we just put up with A's taunts for now. Then once we sort out the church thing we can try to see if anyone will believe us about A," Spencer said as she stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"Spencer's right. A isn't our main focus anymore," Emily added, a bit upset Aria had made the judgment on the text.

"Look we have that therapy session in two hours. All I'm saying is we think about telling her about A, maybe even show her some of the texts," Hanna offered as she dismissed Caleb back upstairs.

"I don't know…" Aria hesitated as she trailed off.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Hanna replied practically begging the others to come clean.

"Uhm lets think…we get branded mentally unstable or certifiably insane and spent the rest of our lives locked up in that mental institution just outside of town. And become known as the girls who lost their minds and killed their best friend but didn't remember any of it. It'll become a ghost story kids tell each other," Spencer said half-jokingly, half-serious.

"Fine. But can we think about telling her someday? If we have to go to this the least we can do is making it useful," Hanna asked, accepting defeat. They were already liars; they didn't need to be told there was something wrong in their minds.

"Yeah…just not today," Spencer agreed before standing up, "I say that we say nothing more than what we know about only the night in the bell tower. We say he was trying to kill me and whatever happened was defensive. We don't say anything about A or even Ali's death unless asked. Even then we avoid the questions or answer vaguely. I have to go home but I'll meet you there."

A chorus of 'ok's and 'bye's followed as Spencer walked out before remembering she left her car at school.

"Hey Han…forgot you drove us over here. Give me a ride back to school to get my car?" Spencer asked when she returned.

"Oh right oops. Let me just tell Caleb I'm leaving and then we can go back to the school," Hanna said wondering how they had forgotten that.

Hanna bounded up the stairs two-even three-at a time as she approached the door she knew Caleb was behind. She liked this. She like knowing he was here. She liked being able to say her boyfriend living with her. She liked having that tiny ounce of reliability that was him being there for her. What she didn't expect was to find the room empty. It was even cleaned up. Usually when she went in there (now that it was his bedroom) it had been a mess with his clothes all over the floor and the bed a twisted pile of sheets and blankets with pillows pushed off the sides. She wondered why. She thought for a few minutes refusing to accept the most likely answer. She decided instead that he must have gotten sick of the mess or felt disrespectful keeping his room in such disorder. Either possibility she accepted and went back downstairs to the girls who were waiting for her to return them to the school.

Once they got to school classes were just about over so they decided not to go back inside. They simply piled into their own cars and said their goodbyes. Just as Hanna was about to leave, Emily pulled her over and asked her if she would go back to her house with her. There was still packing to do and she didn't want to do it alone. Hanna wanted to go home to see if Caleb had come back home so she told Emily she would meet her in a bit.

"I'm home!" Hanna called out into the house.

"In the kitchen Honey!" a voice called that she wasn't expecting to hear in response.

"Hey Mom. Have you seen Caleb?" she question once she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Not even a how was your trip?" her mother asked ignoring the question about Caleb.

"Sorry…I just haven't seen him in a while. Was he here when you got home?" Hanna asked hoping the answer would be yes.

"No he wasn't," Mrs. Marin replied unsure of why her daughter was so in need of finding Caleb.

"Oh…ok. I just came home to drop my things off then I'm going over to Emily's for a bit," Hanna said before pushing herself away from the island and turning for the front door.

"Don't forget your session with Dr. Ann," her mom called after her in a slightly worried tone.

"Like I could forget that," Hanna mumbled under her breathe as she slammed the door shut, wondering where Caleb had gone off to. She had become so used to Caleb being there that it made her…nervous…she couldn't think of how to describe what she was feeling. Him not being there just felt wrong.

"Hey Em…I know I said I would come over there but I can't I'm sorry," Hanna rambled into the phone the second Emily picked up.

"It's fine…Toby's here and I'll see you in a little while," Emily's smile was clearly heard through the phone so she felt a little less bad about it. But she was in desperate need of shopping. She hadn't been shopping in forever.


	61. Chapter 61

**I found a little time to write…basically all my friends require so much more sleep and effort than I do and I got bored in the early mornings. So I wrote up this little chapter while they were painting their nails to match their bikini du jour and applying shit-tons of makeup (for the beach…I don't get it but whatever). I don't know when I can update the next one and I'm sure it will kill you based on how this chapter ends. Anyway enjoy!**

Hanna was sitting in her car debating on whether to leave her purchases in the car or walk in with them. She was already late, their session was half-way over, and she didn't want this therapist to have an even worse idea of her. But someone sketchy was watching her car suspiciously and she wasn't about to lose that much money again. SO in the end she gathered every bag and strutted her way into the office.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was horrible," she said carelessly and she plopped down on the couch, "What did I miss?"

"Oh you must be Hanna. You can call me Ann and don't worry. You haven't missed a thing," the sharp woman in front of them stated.

"We waited for you," Emily said quietly as if she couldn't decide between mumbling it under her breath and stating the fact for Hanna.

"Oh…well then…" Hanna muttered, mentally cursing her plan. She had actually thought they would go on without her. She could feel the glare of the doctor before her as she studied the girls. Hanna knew this woman already had an impression of them-and it wasn't the best-build on lies fed to her by the police. Well the police didn't know any better but they didn't have any proof that they weren't telling the truth. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

"So what brought the four of you together?" Ann asked as she scribbled something down in her notes, probably about Hanna being late and loaded down with shopping bags.

"Ali…I guess. I mean none of us really would've become friends," Emily explained as she looked to each of her fellow couch-mates hoping they agreed with what she had to say.

"And after she went missing…then what?" Ann asked, but Hanna knew she knew the answer already. She probably had tons of notes saying that shortly after Ali went missing they all went their own ways.

"We faded apart. I left the country…I'm not sure how everyone else fell out of touch," Aria spoke up glancing around to make sure the story she was beginning would be continued. But when no one picked up with her narration, Ann took the spot.

"So what brought you back together?" Ann questioned as she swung her boot covered foot back and forth slightly, Hanna noticed letting her thoughts slip out.

"I didn't know those came in brown," she whispered making a mental note to look into getting herself a pair…she deserved a reward for…well…she was sure she deserved them for something.

"Ali again. Her death I mean…" Spencer said referring to the cryptic messages they had been getting then correcting herself. No one needed to know about A yet.

"Do you think maybe you are looking for answers? Maybe you came back together for closure?" Ann suggested, ignoring Spencer's almost slip up and Hanna's fashionista comment.

"Of course we want to know what happened to her. She was our best friend then she went missing and her body turned up a year later," Hanna groaned, earning a gasp from the other girls.

"And that is perfectly normal but do you think you might be looking for answers that aren't there, that maybe you are exaggerating the details so that you can have the answers you want," Ann asked, sending Hanna's mind into a whirlwind of confusion.

"Do we want to talk about it?" Emily asked, shooting their group a nervous glance.

"I…" Aria began before all their phones alerted them of the new text messages waiting for each of them.

"Looks like the session is over," Spencer said when she looked at the clock on her phone.

"I just want you girls to think about whether you would be friends if it weren't for Alison. Maybe your friendship isn't the best thing. I'd like to schedule another group appointment at some point though," Ann tried to say as the group of girls gathered their belongings and practically ran out of the office.

"A?" Hanna questioned the other girls once they were out of Ann's earshot-hmm…A…Ann…odd coincidence.

"No…" each replied adding some excuse to the end of it.

"Hey Em, you still need me to come help you pack?" Hanna asked as she walked with Emily to her car.

"No thanks…Toby helped me," Emily justified sadly, "Now I feel like I'm leaving four best friends instead of three."

"Ok…well let me know if you need anything ok," Hanna replied just as sadly before giving her best friend a hug (although it was definitively difficult and awkward because of all the shopping bags).

"Hanna!" Spencer called as she was loaded her purchases back into her car.

"Hey," Hanna sighed casually as she tried to squeeze the last bag into the trunk.

"I'm sorry about being so harsh lately. It's just with Ian and Melissa and now Toby's leaving…I've just been really stressed and taking it out on you," Spencer rambled apologetically and Hanna slammed the trunk shut.

"No problem…Toby's leaving?" Hanna asked, accepting Spencer's apology-she had to give the girl a break. She most definitively understood where Spencer was coming from with the hate for Caleb.

"Yeah…he says he just can't stay around a town full of people who hate him for doing something he didn't do," Spencer explained, obviously hurt by his decision. It seemed like Toby really meant something to her and Hanna was happy for that.

"Well we believe him now and let me know if there's anything I can do for you ok?" Hanna offered genuinely before getting into her car.

"Thanks Han," Spencer said as she shut Hanna's car door for her, allowing Hanna to drive home quietly thinking about what Dr. Ann had said to them last.

Hanna walked in the house furiously. She hated this Ann person. She hated her strictly based on the fact she had to go sit in therapy and talk about her feelings to some stranger. She honestly shouldn't have anything against Ann (except the fact she was making her question her friendship with the girls); or so she tried to convince herself as she stormed into the kitchen ready to be pounced on by her mother with questions.

"Mom! I'm home! Don't be mad, everything I bought was on sale I swear-oh…" she trailed off once she noticed her mom wasn't waiting, she wasn't even home-the note said something about having to run to the office. In lieu of a response, she heard a door slam.

"Caleb!" she called out into the big, empty house, hoping for some sort of verbal response. When she didn't get any, she decided following the noise up the stairs was a good idea (because it's not like she hadn't seen enough horror movies to suggest doing anything else). She followed her suspicions to the closed guest bedroom door. Knocking gently she finally got a response.

"One sec…" Caleb growled trying not to sound harsh.

"Thank God it's just you. Can I come in?" she asked, waiting for his response with a hand on the doorknob.

"Uhm…ok…just give me a minute," she heard his muffled voice through the door as drawers slammed shut and he mumbled curses she couldn't quite make out. She walked in anyway. She regretted not waiting. The sight nearly made her sick.


	62. Chapter 62

**Sorry it took me so long. Long story short internet/cable company hates me with a burning passion dedicated to making my life hell. Also I needed some new inspiration from the show and now that I've got it I have an update for y'all! Anyway I thought someone would've guessed the right answer. Apparently everyone thinks he's in there with another girl-even Hanna's mom. Nope. Read on to find out! Enjoy!**

"Oh my God…" she muttered, as she stared wide-eyed at his wrist. The same wrist, that now that she thought about it was always covered with that thick cuff bracelet, was oozing blood. Small trails like the ones raindrops make on windows were forming on his lower arm as he desperately tried to hide it (without staining her pristine white sheets). He knew it was a losing battle.

"Now you know," he said without looking up from the thin red streams.

"That's really bad," Hanna whispered to herself, shocked by the secret habit she had just discovered.

"Yeah…but it'll stop soon. You just startled me," he said pressing a t-shirt to his arm in an attempt to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding.

"When…how…I…? You cut yourself?" Hanna began, questions were filling her mind faster than she could articulate them and she wasn't sure Caleb really wanted to talk about it anyway.

"Who do you think taught Grace?" he laughed, trying to add humor to the situation.

"I…and you think I need help. Who are you to judge!" she screamed, turning and running to her room.

"Hey…stop," Caleb called after her but she didn't stop. She slammed the door and he followed, a little light headed.

"Come on. Open up," he asked knocking on her door.

"No. You are such a hypocrite. Go away," she said, her back to the door so he couldn't break in.

"Fine, but everyone is a hypocrite so the argument doesn't count," he said sitting down outside her room to continue their conversation through the door.

"Why is it ok for you to do this?" she asked trying to prove that this was in fact very similar to her less than pretty eating habits.

"Look I'm not proud of this but at least it's not something that could kill me," he explained.

"Except it could. What if you cut too deep and lose too much blood?" she said, her voice inching closer to the door.

"It's just different. You wouldn't understand," he groaned tilting his head to rest against the grooves of her door more comfortably.

"Fine, tell me about it. Make me understand," Hanna said in a tone that said she had won despite the fact her words sounded like surrender.

"I'm not having this conversation through a locked door. If you wanna talk about it, we talk face to face," he said standing up. Hanna heard his weight shift as the floor creaked. Terrified he was leaving, she blurted out the question she had been wondering about too much for her own good.

"Where were you?" she asked quickly as she flew to the door. She pressed one hand against the door and the other hovered by the doorknob. His reply would decide whether or not she opened the door for him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, pausing in the hallway completely confused by her sharp statement.

"When I was with the girls. I came back and your room was cleaned out and you were gone," she replied with an almost unnoticeable shakiness to her voice-almost unnoticeable because she knew she wasn't fouling Caleb and he knew she was trying to hide it.

"I went over to Lucas's house. I wasn't supposed to be staying here with your mom gone, remember?" he explained with a sharp exhale, he knew he should've left her a note or something. God forbid he leave without goodbye again.

"You thought I left," Caleb added before she could say anything. It was obvious from his tone that he was hurt that she would think that little of him.

"Well its kinda what I've come to expect from you," she said a bit harshly. Sure she was pissed but she didn't have to take it out on him.

"Seriously?" he groaned. It was all he could say.

"Yeah," she replied quietly but it was obviously what she meant.

"I'm just really sick of all this drama," he said as he tried to decide to elaborate or leave it at that and walk away.

"It's not all my fault," Hanna huffed, she was sick of the drama too.

"Can you at least let me in so we can talk about this?" he asked and the barely audible click of her unlocking the door gave him his answer.

"Talk," Hanna demanded once he stepped inside her room.

"About what?" he asked groaning when he thought about everything they needed to talk about.

"Everything?" she replied with a shrug of her small shoulders.

"Why do you do it?" she asked when he still didn't respond.

"All sorts of stupid reasons. Last time it was this bad it was because of Grace," Caleb replied as he traced the fading scars left from the last flare up of his bad habit.

"Why did you do it this time?" Hanna asked, she knew she wouldn't like the answer but she braced herself and tried to stay neutral.

"Us?" he suggested. He wasn't quite sure why he did it but he knew it had something to do with the blonde sitting beside him.

"What about us?" she pried a bit more, but it was becoming harder and harder to cover her self-conscious that was bubbling to the surface with each hesitant breathe Caleb took.

"It's not you," he said when he realized how badly she was taking this, "I promise. It's not about you. This just isn't how I wanted life to go. I feel like every minute is full of drama now. And in case life didn't suck enough now I have to tell your dad I got you pregnant-I should've just let him do the cutting for me."

"We can go take care of that and the drama is in my life. You don't have to worry about it," Hanna explained in a single breath, afraid he might be leading up to something.

"But as long as I'm here it is my drama too. Just like when I was trying to go to Arizona, I keep getting sucked back in here," Caleb said as he tried to push his fingers through Hanna's hair put was swatted away.

"What are you saying?" Hanna asked in a voice on the edge of breaking.

"I'm saying I think we need a break. Think about everything by ourselves for awhile. Make sure what we're doing is right for all of us before we go ruin our lives,"

"Ruin our lives…mhmmm…ok…well why don't you go pack your things up and get out of my house," Hanna said jumping up and turning away from him.

"Han…" he whispered softly reaching out a hand to hold her but she rolled it off and stepped further away.

"Leave," she said as strongly as she could.

"I'll be at Lucas's ok?" he said before he walked out of the room.


	63. Chapter 63

**Here's another chapter. Sorry it took so long but enjoy!**

Hanna blinked her eyes furiously, hoping and praying to push away the tears that were quickly brimming threatening her cold stare. Caleb's words, 'ruin our lives' echoed through her head as she waited for the door downstairs to shut.

"Hanna sweetie, can you come down here?" her mother called after what must have been at least an hour. She had been too afraid of leaving her room because of the possibility Caleb hadn't left yet.

"Dad?" Hanna wondered out loud when she reached the stairs and stopped, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about you. Your mother and I-we're both very worried about you," he responded casually as if making small talk to a stranger in the elevator at work.

"You're kidding right? You show up now? Where were you all the other times we actually could've used help? We were barely above foreclosure. Where were you then? You were probably too busy trying to take me away from my mom-who has actually been a parent to me-or mad about her letting Caleb stay here to care," Hanna fumed at her father from her position at the top of the stairs.

"Hanna!" her mother scolded her harshly, giving her a glare that said 'there was no need for that'.

"No…Ash…she's right. I haven't been there for you as much as I should be. That's why I'm staying in town for a few days. We need some family time to sort things out," he said firmly, although it was pretty clear he had just made the decision to stay more than just for the weekend.

He was hurt yeah but he knew he had to do it, even if it hurt her-and him because hurting her hurt him a lot lot more than he thought it should. But that's love. He knew this would kill him but he had to do it. As he waited for Lucas to answer his God damn phone, he kept reminding himself he had to do it no matter how badly it hurt.

"Hey Lucas…can I come crash with you for a while?" he asked when he finally heard Lucas pick up the other end.

"Uhm…yeah…you need me to come get you?" Lucas replied. He was very hesitant about this but he couldn't tell Caleb no. He couldn't really tell anyone no.

"Yeah…Hanna's too pissed at me to even talk right now so yeah…a ride over there would be great," Caleb said as he rubbed his face with his hand. In case he hadn't thought it enough, he H-A-T-E-D this.

"I thought you fixed things with Hanna though," Lucas asked very confused by how often Hanna and Caleb could fight and still love each other as much as they obviously did.

"We did but it's stupid. Look it'll just be until the end of the semester. Then I've got someone who's gonna take me in somewhere else," Caleb groaned.

"Yeah…you sure about leaving Rosewood though?" Lucas asked, picking up on the frustration in Caleb's voice.

"I don't really have a choice," Caleb answered shortly before hanging up. He probably came off as really rude but he was in no mood to play Dr. Phil with Lucas right now.

For Hanna, for Hanna and the baby, he told himself as he punched in the all too familiar long distance number.

"Hey," he said sadly to the overly happy voice on the other end.

"Don't call me with that tone. What's wrong?" Grace asked in a softer voice much unlike her happy voice he was used to.

"The offer still good?" he groaned. For Hanna…for Hanna.

"Depends on if you're going to keep being a douche about it. Look if you want to come here that's fine. We'll take you back in a heartbeat. But if you don't want to come here, don't. You can't just leave Hanna and then show back up like nothing changed. If you come here you should know better than to assume she's going to wait for you. You know how much she hates me and you know what she's going to think about you living with me. It's going to break her heart," Grace explained, giving a much long speech of an answer that Caleb really didn't need.

"I know that this is going to make her hate me. I'm not stupid. I love her and that's why I have to do this. So can I come back home or not?" he snarled at her. He was already hurting and the last thing he needed was the girl who crushed him to give him warning about crushing people.

"If you love her why do you want to leave her?" Grace questioned like the smart ass she was.

"It's a long story but if I don't do this she will get hurt," he said trying to end the conversation without her telling he=im how wrong and bad this is.

"If you do this she'll get heartbroken," Grace countered. She knew she must seem like a bitch but she wanted to know he was making the right decision before she started prepping his bedroom for him.

"I can't explain it but trust me. I'm trying to protect her by leaving," Caleb replied in a tone that said don't question this please leave it at that.

"Ok…but I'm not going to let you sit around and mope about some girl. She's pretty and that's great but seriously? Don't build your life around some high school girlfriend you keep having stupid fights with," Grace offered letting him win the argument.

Silence filled the line.

"Sorry. That was really uncalled for. I shouldn't have said that," Grace added apologetically when Caleb stayed silent.

"God I'm such a bitch. I don't understand why you even want to consider coming back," she rambled to herself.

"You guys are my only family," Caleb spoke up but still didn't seem too pleased.

"So when would you come down?" Grace asked, the smile from his compliment shining through her voice.

"I'll be there for Christmas. Then I'll think about staying if you'll still let me," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Bring her if you want to. We'll have so many people here we won't notice one more. It'll give her a chance to learn to trust you or me or whatever the reason is," Grace added reluctantly. She wasn't too in love was this Hanna girl but she knew that this girl meant a lot to someone she did love.

"Haha…no promises. Thanks Grace. Bye," Caleb hung up feeling a little better than he did making the call but still hurting. He hated having to do this but what choice did he have. Unfortunately, his phone buzzing in his pocket put him right back into that bad mood.

"Good little bad boy. As long as she's hurt by you she won't be hurt by me. –A"


	64. Chapter 64

**Hey! So guess what...I'm still alive and I'm finally back to updating. I don't know how regular it will be but I'm going to guarantee at least one update a week. Basically the next few chapters will be focusing on the girls and getting this story to the same place as the show (or at least as close as I can). Hope y'all enjoy it!**

Hanna sat in her room moping for a long time. She didn't want to go downstairs because she knew he was still here. She could hear her mother's laugh all the way in her room. She knew if she went downstairs she would see her mom flirting with her dad and that really wasn't something she cared to see. This man had wanted nothing (ok a little more than nothing) to do with her since she could remember-except for the day he left. She still remembers that day.

What she doesn't understand is why he would come back for her mom. Sure he said he was back for her but that wasn't the truth. Whenever he showed up he was here for her mom more than he was here for her. She had seen the way her mom prepared for his arrival. Even though he had a hotel room he spent more time at their house or dinner and drinks with her mom. He shouldn't have wasted the money on the hotel and gas for the car. He should've just stayed at their house. Better yet, he should've never left their house. If he had just stuck it out with her mom then they would've been the perfect family they were before. She wouldn't have those problems with her self-esteem and she wouldn't have been sucked in by Ali. Hell, if everything had been the way it was supposed to there would've been no 'A'. She was willing to over look the fact that with no 'A' she wouldn't have befriended Caleb because even though she loved Caleb, she wouldn't know what love really meant and she wouldn't be in the fucked up situation she was in now.

Her phone on the bedside table broke her from her flashback. She didn't even know whether she wanted to look at it or not. It could be Caleb-and then she wouldn't know what to do. It could be A-and then she would be an even worse mood. It could be one of her friends…it probably was. But by the time she reached for the phone it had stopped ringing. So she ignored it until it buzzed again, this time with a text.

"SOS. Call me ASAP! –Spencer."

"Hello?" Hanna asked when she hit call.

"Hey…it's an emergency. Ian's missing. Melissa doesn't even know where he is. I just wanted to warn you. We're all sleeping over at Aria's tonight if you wanna come over but I suggest locking your doors. But please come," Spencer said quietly, trying not to startle Hanna too much. She knew Hanna had to be confused.

"Yeah…I'll be over in a bit," Hanna yawned before crawling off her bed and hanging up her phone.

"Hanna where are you going?" her father asked when Hanna returned downstairs with her purse in hand.

"Hanna answer your father," Ashley added when Hanna ignored her dad's question as she searched the sitting area for her keys.

"To Aria's," Hanna answered coldly when she found them, hating the fact that it was now two against one and she had no one in her corner.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Your therapist spoke with Mrs. Hastings about separating you girls for a little while," Mrs. Marin said stepping away from the coffee table and bottle of wine to block Hanna's exit.

"You want me to stop seeing my only friends because someone who met me once thinks it would be good for me? You can't be serious," Hanna said taking a step closer to the door, daring her mother to make her stay.

"Yes. I don't believe in therapy and I know you don't either but the other girls are taking this seriously and I think you should too. We made you another appointment for Friday after school so you can have an individual session," her mom said in her authority voice.

"You can stay down here with us if you want," her father suggested since Hanna was obviously not leaving the house.

"No thank you," Hanna said sharply dismissing his offer.

"Hanna!" her mother interjected as she tugged Hanna towards the stairs.

"I know you don't like this but you don't have to be rude about it. Your father had actually agreed to drop the custody battle," Mrs. Marin whispered to her daughter.

"It doesn't even matter. I looked it up! He can't take me from you! At sixteen you can tell the court who you want to live with. He would have no authority to tell me what to do unless I said I want him to have custody. And in a few weeks I can become independent if I want to," Hanna whisper-yelled back at her mother.

Hanna was fuming mad. Her dad was back and Caleb was gone. Sure they both said it was only temporary but she knew better. Sooner or later her dad would go back to his other family until he had the next excuse to come back and flirt with her mom. Then he would try to make her perfect enough for his other family. Eventually he would leave and start the cycle all over again. With Caleb it was different. There was no cycle set yet (except there was one-she just didn't want to admit their cycle was something along the lines of: fight, break up, leave, get back together, make up sex, repeat). It was only a matter of time before he signed those papers and went back to that other girl. The girl was so much like herself that she should've known something was up. How could she honestly expect him to live with a girl that looked like that without any feelings? Lust or love. It didn't matter to her. The point was she would also be second. Grace 2.0 not Hanna. And there was no guarantee he would be back this time.

Just in the middle of her angry inner-rant her phone buzzed.

"Is it just me or is Hefty Hanna making a return? You didn't really expect him to stay with you now did you? –A"

"Stay out of my life!" Hanna screeched as the phone connected with the wall and crashed to the floor, breaking into pieces.


	65. Chapter 65

**Still don't own.**

Hanna cried in her room that night until her eyes were puffy and red. She fell asleep with makeup running down her face and still in her clothes from the day. She knew she must've looked a mess. But she reached out to the other side of the bed anyway, trying to find Caleb. When her arms only found cold sheets, she remembered what had happened. She told herself she didn't care. It was warm under all the blankets anyway, the cold spot felt nice.

She rolled over to pull her phone from the bedside table. She had a few missed calls and unopened texts but not one from the person she hoped for. Most were from the girls, worried about her, and one was a picture message from a blocked number. She didn't mean to open it. She intended on letting it sit there. If she never opened it, she would never have to deal with the consequences. She knew it was A's latest threat. She had visions of it being a picture of Caleb and that other blonde (no she had to remind herself that she was the other blonde, this girl was the first) making out or worse.

She had accidently opened it when scrolling through the texts from her friends. The message horrified her enough to drop the phone on her bed. She didn't even need to see the picture to know what it was referring to.

"You tell or I do. –A"

Hanna swallowed her pride and called Caleb. She knew A wasn't messing around and she didn't want to risk her mom finding out from someone else. She didn't want to do it alone and he had promised he would do it with her.

To her surprise he answered on the first ring.

"Hanna, I'm sorry please don't hate me," he said before she could get a word out.

"I don't hate you. I'm just...you understand. My life is a mess-our lives are both so messed up right now," she sighed distracting herself with rearranging the things on her desk as she spoke.

"I shouldn't have snapped like that. I still want to be there for you," he replied hesitantly as if he wasn't sure that was what she wanted anymore.

"Good. Then will you please come home. I got a text from A. If I don't tell my parents about this soon they will. Please don't make me do that alone," she answered, desperately focusing on anything else so she wouldn't break down over the phone.

"Yeah...I'll be right over and we can decide what you want to do," he said before hanging up. He could tell that Hanna was on the verge of crying and he didn't want to say anything that would make it worse.

He got there in record time. Hanna was glad her mom had gone out to brunch with her dad because she didn't have to explain anything to them yet.

"My mom will make you leave and my dad...I don't even want to think about it," she admitted the second he was inside the house and the door was shut.

"What does A even have on us?" he asked, wondering how to go about telling her parents.

"It's a picture of the forms from the clinic. The forms that basically say we're married and were getting an abortion," Hanna groaned, pulling out her phone to show him the picture.

"Yeah...I guess there's no saying it's not ours," he thought out loud as he scanned the image on the small screen. Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Rivers, reason for visit abortion, mother's information was a physical description of Hanna and other details. There was no denying it was them. Although, he did like seeing Hanna's name written as Mrs. Hanna M. Rivers.

"It doesn't matter that we didn't actually go through with it. But this is enough proof for my parents to know I am pregnant-well think I was pregnant and had it taken care of. They'll hate you, disown me and...my life is over," Hanna sobbed as she stuck her face into Caleb's chest.

"Well how much do you want them to know? We can tell them as much or as little as you want," he answered as he rubbed her back gently.

"I don't know. I guess we should tell them the truth. Lying would only make it worse and I have enough lies to keep from them," Hanna replied, pulling back enough that her words weren't mumbled.

When Ashley and Tom got home, Hanna and Caleb were waiting for them. Hanna had a bag packed in her car and had parked it where she could get out if she needed to. Hanna was sitting on the couch with Caleb standing behind her. He knew if he was sitting next to her, she would curl up in his arms and it would only make things worse with her parents. Although, that was where he would much rather be. He kept his hands on her shoulders and was ready to swing around and be right next to her if she needed him.

"Mom can you come in here please?" Hanna asked, feeling very small.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Ashley responded, picking up on the fact this was not going to be a good conversation.

Tom followed his ex-wife into the living room and Hanna tensed up so Caleb moved to sit next to her.

"Uhm...I...we...made a mistake," Hanna began unsure of how to phrase it.

"I'm sorry," Caleb said suddenly feeling very out of place, "It's my fault."

"Hanna," her mom warned, afraid she knew what was coming next, "Please tell me."

Hanna opened her mouth to answer but she shook her head and could only squeak "I'm so sorry."

When Hanna didn't say it, Caleb stepped up. He looked at Hanna then Mr. Marin and back to Hanna.

"I got Hanna pregnant," the words flowed out of his mouth before he could realize what he was saying.

"You lied to me," Ashley shrieked, "I asked you and you said she wasn't."

"You knew about this?" Tom barked turning to his ex-wife.

"He didn't mean to lie to you Mom. He didn't know," Hanna said, regaining the ability to speak.

"This is what happens when you let a random teenage boy move in with you Ashley! I knew this was a bad idea! You know what. I give up Hanna. I've tried but I just can't deal with this anymore," Tom yelled before getting his coat and storming out.

"Mom?" Hanna begged when she realized her mom was still silent.

"I...I'm...I can't right now," she mumbled before going to her room, obviously still in shock.


	66. Chapter 66

**I'm back. Enjoy the updates (that are way overdue...sorry).**

Hanna jumped up to follow her mom against her better judgment.

"Mom...please say something," she begged when she caught her mother's arm on the steps.

"I don't know what to say. If I tell you he has to leave then I might lose you too. I don't want him in this house anymore but I can't risk you leaving with him. You really don't want me to decide anything right now Hanna," she pulled her arm back and continued to her room, forcing herself to ignore the fact that Caleb had wrapped his arms around Hanna.

"Come on," Caleb whispered in Hanna's ear when the door to Ashley's room was shut and Hanna hadn't moved a muscle.

"She...she hates me...my own mom hates me," Hanna stuttered through sobs as she allowed Caleb to pull her back downstairs to the couch, probably a better idea than to go upstairs to a bedroom.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just as confused as we are," he explained gently.

"No...you don't understand. She has never looked at me like that," she mumbled into Caleb's shirt, sure it would be stained with makeup and tears when she pulled away.

"Honestly I thought it would go worse," he sighed, accepting defeat and trying to change the topic slightly (he couldn't totally change the topic or she would bite his head off for even attempting).

"How could it have gone any worse?" she asked, pulling her face away enough that he could actually hear her.

"Uhm...well...your dad didn't kill me..." he began searching for ways of phrasing things that wouldn't send Hanna off.

"Yeah...he walked out on me and said he's done...because that something I want," Hanna argued.

"He'll come around. Just like your mom will. And if not, we'll figure something out," he offered, hoping it would be enough.

"Yeah..." she sighed, tired of talking about it. She really wished she had just gotten the stupid abortion but A still would've told her parents and she knew how they stood on that subject. They wouldn't have approved at all, especially with her dad marrying that perfect church-going, Jesus-loving woman. Ok maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but the point was Isobel was very open about her beliefs and those beliefs were something that had rubbed off on Tom.

Hanna curled up against him and let him just hold her while her brain was doing summersaults of all the things going on in her life.

"Do you want me to leave? Your mom obviously doesn't want me here right now. I don't want to make things worse," Caleb asked after a long pause.

"What?" she snapped, pulling away to look at his face, "Why would I want you to leave? This morning I was practically begging you to come over so I wouldn't have to do this alone."

"I know...I just...I feel like I shouldn't be here right now. How about we go see a movie or something? You know we've never actually gone on a date," he offered in his defense.

"Sure," Hanna agreed. She got up a scribbled a note for her mother saying they were going out and she had her phone if she was needed. Then she turned to the hall mirror to touch up her makeup (thankful she had enough in her purse). After that she decided she was decent enough to go. Sure she wasn't wearing one of her usual fabulous outfits but she wasn't planning on doing anything but hiding out in the back of a movie theatre. Her black leggings, oversized sweater, and UGG boots would have to do. As much as she hated wearing any part of that outside of her house, she didn't want to have to go upstairs and pass her mother's room.

They took her car to the nearest movie theatre, bought themselves tickets to whatever was playing next, and found themselves seats in the back corner. Caleb pushed the armrest up between them and pulled Hanna into his lap. They just sat there holding each other and zoning out to whatever was playing. If you asked them what it was they honestly couldn't tell you. They weren't in the mood for doing much of anything and if Hanna had her way, she would've been at home under all the blankets hiding from the world. Instead she was out of her home because home didn't feel like home. When they left the air in the house had been stiff and it made them uncomfortable. She really didn't want to go back. But she knew she would. It was Sunday so she had school the next morning and as much as she wanted to take a mental health day, she didn't want to stay home.

They got home and Hanna's mother was gone. They went up to her room in silence. She put the TV on the first thing she could tolerate just to have some noise while Caleb went to get her something to eat, knowing that she wouldn't do it herself.

Hanna curled up after she ate. She dropped her head into the pillows and cried herself to sleep with Caleb trying desperately to make her feel better. Even after Hanna fell asleep he didn't stop rubbing her back until he heard a car pull into the driveway. He kissed her hair then climbed out her bedroom window and down the trellis, just in time because Mrs. Marin was home.

The rest of the week was uneventful. A had quieted down, probably purely giddy about their victory in knocking Hanna down. Hanna and Caleb stuck it out together at school not even talking. The girls had tried at first but knew something must be up and knew that Hanna would want her space. Aria kept up for a while longer than the rest but even she had quietly accepted defeat by Friday.

But by Friday night, Hanna had had enough of her mother's silence. After she got home from work, and glared at Caleb to leave, Hanna pulled herself together enough to confront her mom.

"Please say something. I need my Mom," Hanna begged as she followed her mom upstairs.

"You can't keep ignoring me like the baby is just magically going to go away if we don't talk about it. Sooner or later I'm going to get bigger and people are going to start talking and it won't be so easy to hide when I'm as big as a whale and about to pop any second," Hanna barked, getting extremely frustrated with her mother.

"I know Hanna and that's why I've made my decision. I can't control what happens to him anymore but I can control what happens to you. I found a boarding school that specializes in this situation. I think it would be good for you to be away from Rosewood with all the drama here. You can go to the boarding school until the baby is born. Then it goes to a family the school will find and you come back home with some story you can make up for why you left. No one here needs to know you were ever pregnant," Ashley explained.


	67. Chapter 67

**Enjoy!**

"Wait...what?" Hanna stammered.

"With everything going on here I don't think it would be good for you to stay in Rosewood. People are already talking about you and your friends. Things will just get worse when they find out about this. You can start the new school after winter break. I don't know how far along you are-we'll have to make you a doctor's appointment when offices open Monday-but you'll probably be able to come back home for your senior year and live your life like it never happened," Ashley sighed, she knew this was hurting her daughter but she didn't know what else she could do.

"No...you don't understand. I can't do that," Hanna said shaking her head as she stared at her mom.

"Have you considered an abortion? I'm not saying it's the right thing to do. I'm just saying you have options to consider," Ashley offered, for once reaching out to comfort her daughter who only pulled away.

"I thought about it. Caleb actually went with me to get one but something stopped us. I thought it was a sign. Now I wish I had never answered that phone call and we had just gotten it over with," Hanna whimpered, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hold in tears.

"If you want to go through with it then let's do that. If not, I need to make arrangements for you and the baby. I will not allow you to live in this house and raise a baby while you haven't even graduated high school yet. You would be throwing your life away and you could do so much better," Ashley said before turning around to make the necessary phone calls.

"You obviously aren't getting it. Caleb wants to be with me still. He wants to be a family like neither one of us had. And he said he'll refuse to give the baby up for adoption even if he has to take it on by himself. He grew up in foster care and doesn't want his child to do the same. And if he wants to keep our baby then so do I!" Hanna snarled at her mother.

"Hanna! You're yelling. Do you want the neighbors to hear you?" her mother shushed.

"I don't care anymore. Here let's give them something more to talk about. Caleb said he'll even marry me if that's what I want to do! Was that loud enough for you?" Hanna continued her screaming match with no one as her mother looked on horrified.

"Go to your room," Ashley muttered, completely in shock, before pulling out a business card and her cell phone.

Caleb got back home (or back to Lucas's house) and found it empty. He pulled out his phone to text Hanna when he realized he had a new voicemail. He punched in the numbers needed to get to it and made his way to the kitchen looking for anything to eat that wasn't organic or all-natural and tasted like cardboard.

Grace's familiar voice was on the other side.

"Hey so I know you didn't want us to but...uhm...in the process of writing up paperwork to adopt you my parents found something about your mom-and it wasn't like we actually needed to get her approval or anything but you know my parents...they hired someone to find her and well...they did. She wants to meet you and be in your life again...yeah...so can you call me back when you get this? My parents don't want to continue the adoption process until they talk to you about it."

Caleb sunk to the ground as he dropped his phone. The words were replaying in his head. He couldn't figure out if it was a good thing or bad. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Three months ago he felt like no one would have noticed if he just dropped dead. Now he had three families who wanted him in their lives.

He had Hanna first and foremost. She was his priority now. It was his fault she had gotten into so much trouble with her parents. He couldn't leave her completely alone. He loved her and the potential to be the perfect family he didn't have. Sure they wouldn't really be perfect. They would probably live in some piece of shit apartment and barely make ends meet but being together would make it worth it...right?

Then there was Grace. She was lovely and perfect and her family was like his. But she was perfect without him and her family was country club clean cut. He had always felt a little out of place when they dragged him to brunch or when they had dinner parties. They were probably better off without him. But she wanted him back and surely her family did too by all the effort they put into finding him. They wanted to legally adopt him and make him a permanent part of their family. It was like that football movie they dragged him to see the day after Thanksgiving. He was a part of their family even if he didn't totally fit in. He wouldn't be able to do this with Hanna without some help and it seemed like her parents weren't his biggest supporters but Grace and her family were.

Those were the hard choices. He didn't want to leave Hanna but he couldn't stay on Lucas's couch forever. He would have to find some way to make a living in Rosewood and get his own apartment so he could be there. But that wasn't as easy as it seemed.

Now his mom wanted him too. She had given up all rights she had as a parent by leaving him...hadn't she? He shouldn't have felt any obligation to her but he did. He wanted to show her how well he had done without her...ok so he hadn't done that great and he might have wanted to see her for other reasons...like wanting to feel wanted by his mother.

He was just so torn. It seemed like no matter what he did he wouldn't be doing the right thing.

And cue text from A...

"Looks like the future Mrs. Caleb Rivers won't be sticking around to have your baby. Someone's got herself a fancy boarding school to go to and a family to adopt your bastard child. Rosewood doesn't want you anymore. Get lost. –A"


	68. Chapter 68

**Enjoy again...still don't own.**

Hanna woke up early. She didn't know why until she tried to move around and get comfortable. Something wasn't right. She just couldn't get comfortable. So she got up and went to the bathroom. That's when she noticed the bleeding. At first she assumed it was just her period. Then she remembered you aren't supposed to get your period when you're pregnant. But this was more than just spotting that would've been ok. Panicked, she texted Aria.

"Hey girl…know you're probably still asleep but this is an emergency please please please call me ASAP!"

She didn't know what to do. She still didn't want to talk to her mom and her mom was avoiding her. She pulled on some clothes and got in her car, driving to the hospital clinic hoping someone would be able to tell her what was going on. Deep down she knew what this was called but she didn't want to allow the thought of a miscarriage to get in her head. She would rather the test had been false positive. Her phone was ringing and she knew better than to answer it in the car but she reached across for her purse and pulled out the phone.

"Hey what's wrong?" Aria's familiar voice came from the other line.

"Are we sure the positive pregnancy test was mine?" Hanna asked nerves breaking her voice.

"Actually that's what I've been trying to talk to you about all week. I took another test. The positive one was mine. Please don't tell the other girls yet. I haven't even told Ezra," Aria said quietly. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone yet but she knew Hanna needed to know.

"Oh my God!" Hanna screamed as she slammed the breaks. Luckily it was so early in the morning that her sporadic driving didn't matter.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aria asked remembering it had been an emergency.

"I got my period and freaked out. I thought I was miscarrying or something," Hanna sighed with relief into the phone.

"Well I don't know what to say. You know it still could be a miscarriage," Aria reasoned but that thought had already left her head. If it was a miscarriage it meant no baby the same way a period meant no baby, but a period was happier because it meant there had never been a baby instead of losing a baby. So as far as Hanna was concerned it was her period. Problem solved. Crisis averted.

"Oh come on Aria. I would much rather think that it's the sign of no pregnancy. A miscarriage is a dying baby before it's born. Let's be happy and say period," Hanna smiled as she turned her car around to go home.

"Ok…yeah…" Aria replied weakly somewhat saddened by Hanna's reaction.

"Ok did I say something wrong?" Hanna asked when she realized Aria's sadness.

"No no…its just I thought maybe we would be pregnant together and we could raise our children together and I wouldn't be doing this alone," Aria whispered with a yawn.

"Look I'm not the Mom type…I'm more the kind that would eat their babies. You…you are the mom kind and you have Fitzie to be there with you. God knows Caleb is clueless. You and Fitz are gonna be way better in this situation than me and Caleb will ever be. Just trust me on this one," Hanna offered hoping it would make her friend a little happier.

"But that's the thing...Ezra's family showed up and his brother let something slip that I didn't know about. Ezra's mom paid a girl to go away when he was in his senior year. She already offered me money to leave Ezra. What's she gonna do now that I'm pregnant?" Aria asked wanting to keep the conversation going. Now that she was awake there was no way she could go back to sleep anytime soon, it was hard enough to fall asleep without having admitted to being pregnant for the first time.

"Wait...seriously? I thought Spencer's family was messed up. When did this happen?" Hanna asked.

"Last weekend. You've been so busy with Caleb drama I didn't want to bother you. But after Ezra quit his job, his mom showed up to tell him he was being stupid risking his career for a girl. She met me and offered me money if I left Ezra and stopped ruining his life. Then his brother showed up last night offering Ezra a similar deal. Ezra refused and kicked him out, then went to pick up dinner. I was going to tell him about the baby at dinner but his brother forgot his phone and came back to get it and tried to make small talk but he mentioned something about a girl that Ezra got pregnant their senior year and how his mom made her disappear. Ezra confirmed the whole thing when he got home. Now I just don't know what to do," Aria said, near tears by the end of her story.

"Oh Aria..." Hanna trailed off, completely unsure of what she could say to make her friend feel better. Her friend had been so helpful and supportive but now she needed a shoulder to cry on and she was at a loss for words.

"I'm sure it will be different now. Obviously he's not still in high school...I mean you are but you guys can make it. He has a job and can support you and a kid or you can give it up for adoption...Caleb swore if I wanted to put the kid up for adoption he would take it in himself before he let it live in foster care system. And at least Mrs. Fitz would pay for the abortion if it came down to that," Hanna offered, hoping her words didn't cause more harm than good.

"I guess...wait Caleb actually said he wouldn't let you put the baby up for adoption?" Aria asked, shocked that the bad boy with a rough exterior would take care of a tiny baby.

"I don't know...kinda. He said he wouldn't let the baby grow up like he did and he wanted us to be together and a family like neither one of us really had. You know when he found out that I might be pregnant he said he wanted to marry me," Hanna said as she began to wonder out loud how Caleb would react to the news.

"Well what did you say?" Aria pried, Hanna had brought it up so it was fair game to change the subject.

"He didn't actually ask until I told him to after we took the tests. Then I said yes," Hanna explained knowing there was no way she could just drop the subject now that she had brought it up.

"Every little detail please," Aria laughed into the phone, the romantic she was needed to know (she really just needed something to focus on besides how her baby daddy's mom would react).

"Well I was in bed and he came to say goodnight and realized something was wrong so he wanted to know. And I pulled him into bed with me and asked if he meant it. He told me it depended on my answer and I told him he had to ask to hear my answer. He took a ring from the ring dish on my night stand and slipped it on my finger because he didn't have a ring. I said yes then told him about the tests. We fell asleep together. It was sweet but it's not really my thing," Hanna rambled remembering the details of that night

"Awww...that's really cute. So that's why you've been wearing the same ring with all your outfits?" Aria asked when the realization hit her that she should have noticed it before.

"Yeah but now that I'm not pregnant there's no point in rushing into anything. I hope he doesn't still leave but...that's not up to me. He has a chance to leave now without feeling guilty," Hanna explained.

"Han. This is Caleb. If you weren't supposed to be together you wouldn't be. You guys have been through so much and keep breaking up only to get back together. Do you honestly think he would leave just because you aren't pregnant?" Aria answered but it didn't seem to convince her.

"There's another girl he lived with before me and she's back in his life. She's offering him the family he always wanted and never had," Hanna sighed sadly.

"And you really think he's just going to leave because you aren't pregnant and the two of you won't be starting your own family while you're still in high school. That's just stupid Hanna," Aria stated simply.

"Look Aria, I just got home so I'm going back inside and this conversation is over. Bye girl. Thanks," Hanna said waiting for Aria to reluctantly say bye before hanging up and going back inside.


	69. Chapter 69

**Enjoy and as usual, I still don't own.**

"Hanna, do you have any idea how stupid you're being?" Caleb's gruff voice responded when Hanna finished rambling about her period and not being pregnant. It was only half of what he wanted to hear.

"What?" she questioned, barely awake and quickly drifting off back to sleep.

"Get back in your car and come get me. We're taking you to the hospital," Caleb said and in the background Hanna heard shuffling as he pulled on clothes and looked for his shoes.

"Why? I'm not pregnant. We can tell my mom in the morning. I just wanted you to know so you could finally get some real sleep, I haven't been able to sleep since we found out," she said with a small yawn.

"You called me in the middle of the night to just say 'hey you know how I thought you knocked me up well you didn't because I'm showing signs of a miscarriage but I would rather just pretend I was never pregnant' and you expect me to just go back to sleep? Not happening Princess. Get up and I'll walk to your house if I have to," he said before hanging up. He had made his point.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Hanna's car and Caleb was driving like a madman (Hanna had been driving too slowly for him). It was scary quiet and neither wanted to say anything. Hanna didn't want to think about what was happening and had snapped at Caleb every time he tried to say anything. He figured he better keep his mouth shut the rest of the way.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He knew Hanna had enough going on but he wouldn't sit there in silence.

"Grace found my mom," Caleb said, glancing over at Hanna from the corner of his eye. She tensed up a bit but didn't move her eyes from the window she was staring out.

"And she wants to meet me. She wants to be a part of my life again," Caleb said slowly, watching Hanna move than the road (something he should've known better than to do).

"Look out!" Hanna screeched as Caleb narrowly missed the oncoming car. He swerved back into his lane and remained silent the rest of the drive, focusing on the road rather than trying to have an important conversation.

When they got to the hospital, Hanna sat in the waiting room while Caleb went to get the paperwork. He explained their situation to the nurse and she sent him back to Hanna with a clipboard and what seemed like twenty pages of paperwork and a pen. When he joined Hanna, she ignored him so he began filling out what he could.

"Uhm...Han...I need your help with some of this...like when was...when did you last...you know...," he whispered to her, trying to stay quiet so she wouldn't get mad at him for letting everyone know why they were there.

"Oh my God! Just give me that," Hanna said as she snatched the clipboard, embarrassed, her cheeks flushed and Caleb thought it was cute, even if he would never admit it.

Hanna scribbled the necessary information on the clipboard, tilting it just so that Caleb wouldn't be able to see what she was writing. She returned the clipboard to the lady at the desk who told her to come on back. She turned to Caleb who was watching her intently, waiting for the signal to join her. He got up and the two of them followed the lady back to a bed where a screen was the only thing separating them from the other patients.

"The first thing we need you to do is lay down here. This nurse is going to take some blood then the doctor will be over to do a sonogram. The woman explained before leaving to return to her spot at the desk.

"Hi. My name is Bess," the nurse introduced herself. She was a slim brunette that reminded Hanna of Spencer.

"I'm just going to take a blood sample. If you are pregnant-or even were but miscarried it will show up in your blood. That's why we need to do both. The sonogram would only show if you are still pregnant," Bess explained as she prepped the needle and wiped down a spot on Hanna's arm. She tied the rubber band and tapped Hanna's arm looking for the best vein. Hanna eyed her with a sick look on her face. She hated needles, something Caleb did not know yet. He was standing in the corner, feeling very out of place, and was glad when he realized Hanna didn't like needles. Distracting her gave him something to do. He slipped over by her side (the one the needle wasn't going into) and grabbed her available hand.

"Ok, I'm going to give this to another nurse to run to the lab while I ask you some-erm-female medical history questions," the nurse said with a pointed glance at Caleb. He obviously wasn't wanted.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Caleb asked when the nurse left Hanna.

"Uhm...no. I'll send someone out to get you if I need you," she answered, feeling small in the sterile white room.

Caleb kissed her forehead then left the nurse to ask questions.

"So let's get started. While we wait for the ob-gyn I have to ask you a few questions," the nurse began as Caleb left.

Meanwhile, Caleb stepped outside to return a phone call. They had to wait awhile and the sun was starting to come up so he knew Grace would be up for school.

"Hey," she said on the first ring, her voice quiet and groggy from just waking up.

"Hey so your parents found my mom?" he asked, getting straight to the point. He wanted to be able to join Hanna the second she wanted him to.

"Yeah...you have to decide if you want to see her though. She has no legal rights to make you go back to living with her or even to make you see her but my parents being who they are didn't want to adopt you without at least knowing what happened to your mom," she replied with a sigh.

"How did they find her?" Caleb asked

"It was not easy. She got remarried and they had to find her by his last name but as soon as they contacted her she asked about you and said she wants to see you," she answered as Caleb's fists involuntarily clenched.

"Ok well I have to go. I'll call you later," he said when the nurse stepped out to wave him over. He hung up before Grace could say anything and was standing beside the nurse in seconds.

"She wants to speak to you," she said quietly before leading him back to the bed where Hanna was holding her face in her hands.


	70. Chapter 70

**Sorry for the late update but I kinda forgot where I was going with this story so now y'all have the opportunity to tell me what you want from it. Of course it will continue to be Haleb focused but I want to try to incorporate A and the other girls a little more (or is that not what y'all want to be reading?). I've been reading other Haleb stories for inspiration and almost every single one involves Hanna being pregnant...that either means it's either way over done and cliché or it's what y'all want to read. So tell me what you want! And enjoy the update!**

Caleb's first response was to sweep in and hold Hanna. He had no idea what to say because he knew she was well beyond being consoled by words. Anything he said could and certainly would be held against him. The best thing was to let Hanna speak when she was ready. Until then, he would just stand there quietly with his arms around her and hope her crying would stop soon.

"Let's go home. I don't want to be in this hospital any longer than I have to," she whispered quietly as she pulled her face out of her hands and wiped away the tears when her crying slowed.

"We aren't going to talk about it?" Caleb asked looking first at Hanna then at the nurse to know if there was anything left to talk about.

"There's nothing to talk about. I just want to go home and crawl back in my bed and go to sleep," Hanna mumbled grabbing her purse and shoo-ing Caleb toward the exit.

"Really-" Caleb began to argue but he was cut off by the buzz of his phone.

"You should see about that," Hanna answered, glad for the distraction.

"It's just a text. I can read it later," he responded but opened it anyway, something he regretted.

"I thought I was clear when I said get lost. Maybe this will make it clearer. I don't want to but if that's what it takes. Innocent blood has been spilt before. –A"

The text contained a picture that he would never be able to un-see. The picture was clear but he knew better than to think Grace knew the picture had been taken. She was in her room changing clothes.

"What's wrong?" Hanna asked when she noticed the look of terror on Caleb's face.

"Oh...I forgot to tell Lucas I was leaving. His parents woke up and had a fit when they realized I was gone," Caleb lied through his teeth, something he was thankful he had gotten good at. He didn't want to explain to Hanna why he had just such a picture of Grace.

"Oh...ok," Hanna muttered before she turned her attention to the car they were walking towards, "I'll drive home. You can sleep a little."

"Thanks...a thirty minute nap will totally help. Seriously Hanna. We need to talk before we go home and pretend this didn't happen. Because I have no idea what just happened," Caleb said grabbing Hanna's arms and pining her to the side of the car.

Hanna gazed into Caleb's eyes speechless at first. She didn't know what to do so she pressed her lips to his. He kissed back before he realized what she was doing and pulled away.

"You can't just distract me like that," he laughed.

"You're not a dad. You're off the hook. I just wanted one last kiss as engaged potential teenage parents," she smiled at him.

"Really?" he asked, eyebrow raised at her strange answer.

"Yeah...I know it's stupid...I just...we almost had a family-I mean we're just teenagers but I guess a part of me wanted to be pregnant so you wouldn't leave again because I don't know if I could handle you leaving-and oh my God...I'm talking way too much," Hanna sobbed and dropped her gaze to the ground, very embarrassed by what she had just let slip.

"Han...I would never leave you. And I wasn't just staying because we thought you were pregnant. I really care about you," he assured him, releasing her arms to cup her face and make her look at him.

"I know...it's just...life just has to be so fucking difficult all the time and...I had finally gotten used to the idea of having a baby with you and being a mom," Hanna sighed and smiled when she looked at Caleb's face.

"We have time for that later...when we aren't in high school. Besides, are you forgetting A is still out there?" he prodded, moving his hands down to hold her shoulders.

"Yeah...it would've been way too hard trying to raise a kid with A still out there. A would've use it as leverage all the time and-it would've been horrible," Hanna sighed, her greatest fears for her future bubbling to the surface. What if they couldn't figure out who A was and they were forced to live out their lives fearing what might be around every corner.

Hanna took Caleb back to Lucas's house then went back to her own house where luckily her mom was still asleep. It must have been one strong sleeping pill. She could think of how to explain the hospital bill to her mom later. Ugh...her mom...how was she supposed to explain everything to her? There was no way she was just going to forget everything from the past few days.

She went to her room and pulled out some clean clothes. All she wanted to do was shower off the disgusting hospital smell then go back to sleep until her mom woke up and realized she still needed to go to school.

Getting out of the shower, she dried off and put on her clothes before checking her phone for the time. She had a new text but more importantly it was getting late and her mom should be up by now. However, she hadn't heard any sign her mom was up and going. Surely by now, she should've heard something down the hall.

She left her phone on the counter in the bathroom and went to check on her mom. There was no sign of Ashley in either the master bedroom or bathroom and the closet was dark. The kitchen was quiet and no coffee was waiting in the coffee maker.

Hanna assumed her mother had left earlier and went to finish getting ready for school. She grabbed her phone from the bathroom, careful to make sure she didn't leave it sitting around anymore, and read the text.

"Just telling your baby daddy he isn't a dad isn't going to make it true. –A"


	71. Chapter 71

**So far the only request has been a chapter with the girls catching up so viola...your request id being granted. Of course it will continue to be Haleb focused but I want to try to incorporate A and the other girls a little more. I've been reading other Haleb stories for inspiration and almost every single one involves Hanna being pregnant...that either means it's either way over done and cliché or it's what y'all want to read. So tell me what you want! And, as always, enjoy the update!**

Ashley Marin woke up to her daughter gone and a cryptic letter signed –A waiting on the kitchen counter. She read the note a few times before dropping it in shock. This –A person knew about her daughter's condition and was threatening to reveal it to all of Rosewood if she didn't meet very specific demands. She got up and got dressed quickly before rushing out the door.

She turned the key in the ignition and her car roared to life. There were GPS coordinates programmed into her car and the system had already started by directing her to back out of her driveway.

She followed the directions quietly, barely even breathing. She went for miles without being sure of where she was going.

When she was finally told she had arrived at her final destination, the breath hitched in her throat. She knew exactly where she was and who resided in the dark home. She had been here before.

Hanna dragged herself to school half asleep and made it through the day until lunch without falling asleep (or at least getting called out for it) in class. By the time she got to lunch, her face was resting on her arm, slipping slowly and catching herself just before she face planted on the table.

"Come on Han. What's wrong with you? You've been so off lately," Emily asked as she and the other three girls joined her at the table.

"Hmm...? Oh...just sleep deprived," Hanna yawned.

"You must really be enjoying have Caleb back around," Emily laughed a little and Aria gave Hanna a small, sad smile.

"I wish...it's just A is driving me crazy," Hanna corrected quickly.

"A has been pretty cruel lately but they haven't followed up on any of their threats," Emily offered a slight change of topic.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked. A had been extra cruel lately but she hadn't pushed A as far as she usually would.

"Well A has been making threats about what they will do to make me stay here but I've just ignored it and they haven't done anything about it," Emily explained, looking up at her friends' faces, "I guess you haven't noticed it?"

"Well...I haven't exactly given them the chance to. I've been so quick to admit defeat and try to keep everything covered, I haven't really tested them," Aria realized quickly.

"Maybe they just realized there isn't anything they can really do to stop the military. I mean the U.S. government has to be immune from A's threats," Spencer suggested as she mused on the same thoughts.

There was a few moments of silence between the group as the girls all thought about what Emily had acknowledged. There was definitely merit to what she was saying but that didn't mean A was anymore friendly than before. It just meant something was going on.

"But I guess you could be right. Melissa is driving everyone crazy with Ian gone. She's blaming me and to make it worse my parents banished Toby from coming over. They won't even let me leave the house. But nothing from A. Either it's the calm before the A storm or A realized they don't have as much control over us as they thought they did," Spencer added, pushing the food around on her plate.

"Mhmm," Hanna mumbled as she ignored her friends and scanned the room for Caleb only to find he was nowhere in sight. She was tempted to pull out her phone and text him but she knew she hadn't spent enough time with the girls and they needed her.

"That's a scary thought. If we thought A was bad now...what if they're planning something and that's why they've slacked off?" Emily questioned as Spencer's words sunk in.

"Ha! A has not been slacking off. Trust me. They are just as set on ruining our lives as ever," Hanna snarled.

"Did I say something wrong?" Emily whispered to the other girls as the three of them stared at Hanna, wide eyed and open mouthed.

"Look...if I tell you guys something you have to promise to keep it a secret," Hanna sighed, realizing her reaction was not called for.

A chorus of yeah, sure, and other positive words responded to her, prompting her to reveal her secret. She took a deep breath before beginning.

"A hasn't been slacking off...or at least not on all of us. Maybe they didn't have time to try to scare you because they were too busy focusing on their attention on a secret of mine they found out. I have no idea how they figured it out but they did and now they won't let me have time to even process what's going on in my life," Hanna rambled to her friends, avoiding their gaze by picking at her nails.

"Hanna...you can tell us anything," Emily said when Hanna paused to take a breath, grasping Hanna's hands with her own.

"I know...and normally I would. But this is different. I don't even know why I'm telling you this now. But A was-and still is-focusing on trying to get everyone to find out so I thought I should tell you guys before they do," Hanna continued to babble.

"Han, come on. You're really scaring us," Spencer prodded.

"Caleb and I have been spending a lot of time hiding out together because we got caught in a bad situation A is using against us...I can't do this right now-not here, not like this," Hanna sighed looking down to her lap and avoiding the worried looks of her friends.

"Hanna. You have to tell us now. You're in trouble and you need our help," Emily soothed when tears started to roll down Hanna's cheeks.

"But I'm not in trouble. It was never a horrible thing. It was just how A used it against me," Hanna mused, more to justify her own feelings about the situation than to ease the worry of her friends.

"Come on Han, just go ahead and tell them what I know," Aria piped up (albeit so quietly only Hanna could hear her) for the first time.

"A knew I was pregnant," Hanna whispered.


	72. Chapter 72

**Again just tell me what you want to read and, as always, enjoy the update!**

**Spencer might come off as a bit of a smart-ass know it all and Hanna may seem a little like a bipolar bitch. Sorry to Spencer lovers but she annoys me and I needed someone to start a fight amongst the girls.**

**The story is winding down. And not the way I thought it would go but it's definitely interesting. The ending is open for a possible sequel or you can use your imaginations.**

"I'm sorry...repeat that...?" Spencer choked out as she looked at Hanna like she's crazy.

"Hanna," Emily sighs with uncertainty in her voice. It's obvious she doesn't know how to react to the news. She wants to be supportive but can't figure out how to walk the delicate line between approving of teen pregnancy and supporting a friend who made a mistake.

Aria is the only one not to respond in any way. She has no shock no express. She watches the faces of her friends, wondering how they will react when she tells them her news. She's tempted to do it now since the subject is relevant but she knows better than to try to take Hanna's moment. Let everyone work out Hanna's drama then she can consider telling them. Besides she hadn't even told Ezra yet.

"A manipulated me because they had evidence they could show people that I was pregnant. They even had proof Caleb and I went to an abortion clinic. They made us tell my parents and my mom is sending me to a boarding school for people in just such situations-" Hanna begins explaining, nervously playing with her hair.

"So you're pregnant?" Spencer asks again in shock.

"No. That's the worst part. But now my mom is sending me away and my dad has practically disowned me," she sighs with a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Hanna, it'll be ok," Emily says, reaching out to hold her friend's hand and offer the only comfort she can, "You aren't pregnant. You can tell your mom and dad the truth and it will be like it never happened."

"But we can't go back now. It brought up so much shit between me and Caleb. He even proposed. I can't just forget this and neither can he. And my mom won't believe me. Even if she takes me to a doctor that tells her I'm not pregnant she'll be convinced I had an abortion. My dad will never look at me the same. He wants nothing to do with me and he'll agree with my mom that I must've had an abortion and he and his new wife will think even less of me for terminating the pregnancy than they would if I had gone through with it," Hanna cried, wishing she had Caleb to lean on.

"Hanna. You realize that you're talking about a hypothetical abortion. You didn't have one so they won't hate you. You can tell your parents there was a mix up with test results. It'll be ok," Emily repeats, the hand on Hanna's gently rubbing back and forth to reassure her that everything really would be ok.

"How did A find out?" Spencer questioned, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"I don't know. They made me sleep with Caleb in the first place-not that I didn't want to. Then they broke into my house to leave a message on my mirror about not being careful enough. It's like they wanted me to get pregnant or at least think I was," Hanna explained as her mind flashed back to the horrible warning written on her bathroom mirror and how hard it was to remove. Sometimes she swore it was still there when the bathroom steamed up from her hot showers.

"Hanna. You have to be more careful. A was obviously setting that up. How could you fall into a trap like that," Spencer sighed as she shook her head.

"What?" Hanna replied, glaring at the girl she thought was her friend. Weren't friends supposed to be supportive? Surely best friends don't shake their heads at you condescendingly and tell you that you screwed up. It's not like she didn't feel that way already. She didn't need Spencer adding to that guilt and disappointment she felt towards herself.

"This is why A enjoys torturing you so much. You make it easy for them," Spencer declared looking around at everyone in the group, "If we stop making it so easy maybe A will give up."

"Didn't we kinda try that already? Remember when we blocked the number and emails? They still found ways to mess with us. I don't think sticking our fingers in our ears and saying 'nope can't hear you' is going to make A go away. And you think you're the smart one," Hanna fumed, her hands balling into fists out of rage.

"I didn't say that. That's not what I meant at all," Spencer tried to justify her words.

"You know what. I don't want to hear it," Hanna interrupted, "You need to get off your fucking high horse. What happened to the 'united front', you know defeat A together? Do you really want to start this?"

"You sure you aren't pregnant because you're acting like a hormonal bitch," Spencer muttered under her breath. It just wasn't quiet enough.

"That was low but I'll forgive you because you're just jealous you can't get Toby interested in you. Hell he's probably been closer to having sex with Emily than with you," Hanna retorted.

"Whoa don't bring me into this," Emily yelped.

"For your information, Toby and I haven't had sex because I don't want to yet, not because he doesn't want to. I just don't want my first time to feel like it was forced because A was breathing down my back. I don't want to be whoring myself out as a way of protecting myself from A," Spencer said smugly.

"I've had enough of this. I cant stay here any longer. Maybe it's best if I let my mom send me away still. I'll be away from A and you," Hanna decided, forcing all her energy on making Spencer's head explode. If looks could kill, there would be a standoff between Hanna and Spencer worthy or Harry Potter and Voldemort.

Caleb finally called Grace. He wanted to tell her to be careful but he knew better than to drag her into this mess he had worked his way into. Instead he just told her he wanted to meet his mom. And it was that simple. Plans were made to fly his mom to Grace's house for Christmas.


End file.
